Specific
Measurable
Attainable
Realistic
Timely
Specific:
A specific goal has a much greater chance of being accomplished than a
general goal. To set a specific goal you must answer the six “W”
questions:
*Who: Who is involved?
*What: What do I want to accomplish?
*Where: Identify a location.
*When: Establish a time frame.
*Which: Identify requirements and constraints.
*Why: Specific reasons, purpose or benefits of accomplishing the goal.
EXAMPLE: A general goal would be, “Get in shape.” But a specific
goal would say, “Join a health club and workout 3 days a week.”
Measurable - Establish concrete criteria for measuring progress toward the attainment of each goal you set.
When you measure your progress, you stay on track, reach your target
dates, and experience the exhilaration of achievement that spurs you on
to continued effort required to reach your goal.
To determine if your goal is measurable, ask questions such as……
How much? How many?
How will I know when it is accomplished?
Attainable – When you identify goals that are most
important to you, you begin to figure out ways you can make them come
true. You develop the attitudes, abilities, skills, and financial
capacity to reach them. You begin seeing previously overlooked
opportunities to bring yourself closer to the achievement of your goals.
You can attain most any goal you set when you plan your steps wisely
and establish a time frame that allows you to carry out those steps.
Goals that may have seemed far away and out of reach eventually move
closer and become attainable, not because your goals shrink, but because
you grow and expand to match them. When you list your goals you build
your self-image. You see yourself as worthy of these goals, and develop
the traits and personality that allow you to possess them.
Realistic- To be realistic, a goal must represent an objective toward which you are both willing and able
to work. A goal can be both high and realistic; you are the only one
who can decide just how high your goal should be. But be sure that every
goal represents substantial progress.
A high goal is frequently easier to reach than a low one because a
low goal exerts low motivational force. Some of the hardest jobs you
ever accomplished actually seem easy simply because they were a labor of
love.
Timely – A goal should be grounded within a time
frame. With no time frame tied to it there’s no sense of urgency. If you
want to lose 10 lbs, when do you want to lose it by? “Someday” won’t
work. But if you anchor it within a timeframe, “by May 1st”, then you’ve
set your unconscious mind into motion to begin working on the goal.
Your goal is probably realistic if you truly believe that it
can be accomplished. Additional ways to know if your goal is realistic
is to determine if you have accomplished anything similar in the past or
ask yourself what conditions would have to exist to accomplish this
goal.
T can also stand for Tangible – A goal is tangible
when you can experience it with one of the senses, that is, taste,
touch, smell, sight or hearing.
When your goal is tangible you have a better chance of making it specific and measurable and thus attainable.