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“Choosing goals that are important to you is one of the most essential things you can do in order to live your dreams.” Les Brown, 1945 American Speaker Author Trainer Motivator Lecturer
You may have heard of SMART goals, often used in a performance appraisal at work, but these are SMERTIE goals which will benefit you by being more resonant to you personally.
SMERTIE goals use positive language and are written in the present tense to make them vibrant and resonant. Your goals should concern what you want, not what you don’t want.
For example – It is November 2009 and I am in control of my finances. I pay an additional £150 off my mortgage every month and I also saving £100 every month towards my dream holiday to Australia next year. I am in control of my spending and am paying my credit card bill in full every month.
Specific
Measurable
Evidential
Responsible
Timed
Inspirational
Emotional
What is meant by “Specific”?
The goal that you write down must be readily understood by anyone who reads it. If you write your goal as “I want to get a new job and earn lots of money,” there are a number of questions that we need to ask to understand specifically what your goal actually is. If you write “I have a new job as the Business Development Manager for a Firm in London that pays me £35,000 per year with a ten percentage bonus at year end,” there is an energy and emotional attraction around the goal that will compel you to work towards it.
What is meant by “Measurable”?
You must be able to measure the extent to which you complete your goal. When you are uncertain about your future it is easier to give in to procrastination and approach the future fearful of the direction that it might take you. If you consider the goal “I want to get a new job and earn lots of money,” there is no plan and no indication of the level of success that you value that would enable you to define a measurement. If your goal contains a measurement of the success that you value you will be more confident and the goal will be more attractive for you to complete.
What is meant by “Evidential”?
There should be evidence available to indicate that you have completed the goal. If you want to earn a salary of £35,000 a year, and accept a new job with either this salary or a greater salary, there is tangible evidence that you have completed the goal. Goals are there to be completed – they are finite and indicate the completion of something that you want at that time in your life. When you have completed the goal and have the evidence to indicate that it is complete you will be ready for the next goal!
What is meant by “Responsible”?
Coaching empowers people to accept responsibility for their lives. There is a correlation between the amount of responsibility that you accept within your life and the amount of success that you achieve. When you write your goals you should consider the extent to which you accept responsibility for the consequences of your decisions and actions and give away that responsibility to someone else.
What is meant by “Time Based”?
You must set a time frame in which you want to work towards your goal. Without a time frame it becomes very easy for the goal to slip and not be completed. You should initially consider setting goals that you can achieve within a 6-12 month time frame.
What is meant by “Inspirational”?
If you set a goal that is inspirational, that is aligned with your values and beliefs, and is true to who you are, you will find that you will really want to achieve it. When you have written down your goal ask yourself “how attractive is the goal?” If you think it is a 9 or a 10 you will be really inspired to achieve it.
What is meant by “Emotional”?
Humans are driven by a desire to gain pleasure and avoid pain. If you have an emotional attachment to something you will set a plan in motion that will take you towards what you want. When you write your goal consider the emotional gain or pleasure that your goal will bring you – the greater the emotional gain the stronger the conviction to achieve the goal will be.
Your Goals
It is now time to begin to think about your SMERTIE goals for your life that will bring you happiness and balance? Once you have written them down, commit to taking positive actions that will enable you to move towards achieving your goals. To ensure that you remain on track to achieve your goals you should review them every day. When you achieve your initial goals it will be exciting and empowering and you will be able to use these positive feelings to achieve even more success – set new goals!
To learn more about goal setting download the free Top Goal Setting Strategies ebook
write by victor young