S – Specific: For a goal to have meaning and to be relevant it needs to be clearly defined. Make sure your goals have detail. Saying ‘’I want to be rich’’ is not good enough. How rich is rich? Rich means different things to different people. You will need to add details; like: I have two Ferrari in the garage and 3 Harley Davidson. I live in a 6-bedroom house with two pools and a breath-taking view looking over the beach. Add as much detail as possible.
M – Measurable/ Milestones: Ask yourself the question: How will I know I have achieved my goal? What is the evidence? Find a way to measure the goal. I will only be rich when I have a 6-bedroom house. The goal should be able to be broken down into milestones. Discussed in detail later
A – Achievable: There are a few different schools of thought here. One principle believes that if you truly want to achieve something then you can do anything (no matter how realistic). Others are more conservative or realistic. Setting an unachievable goal can become frustrating and you may land up giving up. However, I have seen people achieve things that I did not think was possible. If you are finding yourself setting an unrealistic goal make sure that your emotive are very high. Getting real with how important a goal is to you and what you can do to make it attainable is the key. You may need to develop new skills and change attitudes. The goal is meant to inspire motivation, not discouragement. Think about how to accomplish the goal and if you have the tools/skills needed. If you don’t currently possess those tools/skills, consider what it would take to attain them.
R – Relevant: Ask yourself the questions: What is fueling me to achieve this goal? How important is it for me to achieve this goal? Is this goal worth my time and dedication? Will this goal positively benefit my life? You may find that some goals are more relevant than others but as long as it’s part of your life’s goal. What is the motive for this goal? IS this goal rewarding?
T – Time frame: Good goals need to have a target time attached to them. For example, rather than saying, “I want to start reading more books” you could say “I want to read twelve books in the next six months”. You can see how the person who set that second goal will be much more motivated to succeed since they have a target date in mind for their goal.
E – Emotive: Is your connection to the goal real? The goal is meant to bring out positivity and exciting emotions. You are meant to feel inspired and enthusiastic about accomplishing your goal. What is the true reason for the change? Think about your emotional connection to this goal.
S – Self-Directed: Self-directed decision that you make. Taking the responsibility for the goal. Taking on this challenge without anyone else actually doing it for you will be very empowering. The insight and decisions need to come from you; you alone need to take the responsibly for achieving your goal. Under one’s own control.
T – Transformational: There must be something in your life that has made you uncomfortable. This uncomfortableness has caused you to feel you need to change something. The goal must make this change. It must transform the bad situation into a good or better one. There must be a change at the end. The result must be the changed event. The act or process of transforming. To move from a bad situation to a good situation, you need to determine what needs to be changed.
