Smart Goal Setting is an acronym using the word “SMART” or “SMARTER” to set goals. It helps the goal-setter put together a plan so that they are more likely to achieve their goal.  Smart stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Timely.  Often people add an “E” and an “R” to the end making the acronym read as “Smarter.”  The E and the R stand for Evaluate and Reevaluate.

You know there have been times in your life where you have accomplished what you set out to do, but there have also been times where your goal has fallen by the wayside. The absolute truth is that you can accomplish anything you set your mind to.  The sky is your limit. Smart Goal Setting makes it more likely you reach for the sky and end up in the sky.

Here’s how Smart Goal Setting works:

S

The “S” in Smart goal setting stands for “Specific.”  It can also sometimes be referred to as “Simple” or “Significant.”

Studies show that the more specific a goal is the more likely you are to achieve it.  This is as opposed to a general goal.  Set your goal so that it is clear and discernible.  For example, a general goal would be setting a goal to have better relationships.  A specific goal would be to communicate better with your sister to avoid as many disagreements and better the relationship.   This sets forth expectations, as well as what you plan to do to make the goal happen. An easy way to make your goal more specific is to use the who, what, where, when and why.

M

The “M” in smart goal setting stands for “Measurable.” Some professionals also refer to it as “Motivational,” “Manageable,” or “Meaningful.”

This part of goal setting is about how you measure your success towards reaching the goal.  To do this means to lay out measurable steps to be sure you are on track to reaching your goal. Without a means of measuring your progress, especially with more complex goals, you cannot know how well you are doing with reaching the goal.  This also pushes the goal-setter to get more done in a timely manner and keeps the goal-setter on track!

A

The “A” in smart goal setting stands for “Attainable.” It is also often refered to in these other “A” terms:  “Achievable,” “Actionable,” “Assignable,” “Aspirational,” “Ambitious, “Agreed,” “Aligned,” and “Appropriate.”

This part of the goal setting process is making sure your goal is actually attainable.  It is okay if it is a difficult goal, but is it realistic and actually possible and not too far-reaching?  When a goal is believed to be attainable, the goal-setter is more likely to take action towards reaching the goal whereas if the goal-setter thinks it is impossible or if it actually is impossible, they will give up earlier. The attitude towards the goal is important!  So this part of goal-setting aswers a “how” question:  “How will I accomplish the goal?” Identify obstacles, but evaluate them to be sure they are not actually unworkable or impractical.

R

The “R” in smart goal setting stands for “Relevant.” Many people also refer to the “R” as  “Realistic.”

This part is where you check whether your goal is relevant to your life.  In other words, how important is it?  If it is unimportant or not worthwhile, the goal-setter will not work towards it.

T

The “T” in smart goal setting stands for “Timely.”  It can also represent a number of “Time”-oriented words, such as “Time frame.”

This is where you will match up your goals and/or steps to achieve the goal with a target date or dates. Deadlines are proven to help a person complete a task more timely.  This keeps the goal-setter on track and constantly working towards the end objective rather than just having an amorphous and indeterminate plan.  During this part, establish the answers to questions such as “When do I need to have XYZ completed to move on to the next task?”  “What do I need to do this week to complete step ABC?”

E and R

If you choose to ad the “E: and the “R,” then perhaps you are more serious about reaching your goal.  The “E” in smart goal setting stands for “Evaluate” and the “R” stands for “Reevaluate.”  These steps are used during the goal achievement process to examine how your plan is going and whether timelines or steps need to be reworked.

Write it Down

Last but not least, write it down! While this is not part of the Smart Goal Setting, written goals makes them more likely to be achieved. For more, read: Writing Goals.

More from Positively Beautiful:

 

Beauty isn’t just skin deep. Beauty encompasses everything we are from our skin, hair, eyes and bodies to our self-esteem, emotional attributes and even our brains. Yes, even education and intelligence is beautiful. That’s why it’s not only important to be beautiful and healthy on the outside, but to be beautiful and healthy on the inside. That’s why we need to not only work on our outer beauty, but also work on our inner beauty.

Brains are beautiful because they allow us to learn, think and express ourselves clearly, effectively and in positive ways. There’s nothing more beautiful than a smart, intelligent and free thinking woman. Beautiful smart woman are happy healthy and successful. They run businesses, participate in extracurricular activities such as going to the gym, running, crocheting and cooking. They pursue their own passions, and they encourage their kids to pursue their passions. They teach their kids how to be successful and positive. They help with homework. They don’t shy away from challenges, and they teach their children that the world is full of possibilities and adventures. Nothing in this world is out of reach with the right mindset.

Intelligence is attractive. It’s beautiful and alluring, and there are hundreds of examples of beautiful intelligent women. We can look online and find female CEO’s and female business owners. We can look at our own lives and think of our mothers, grandmothers, aunts and friends. They might be nurses, doctors, lawyers, managers or homemakers. They might have gone to college. They might not have, but they’re all intelligent and skilled in their own ways.

The trick is finding and recognizing the intelligence within ourselves. We are all knowledgeable and skilled at something. We are all intelligent. We all have the ability to think, reason and solve problems. We have the ability to make our lives better through education and career exploration. We have the ability to make our families’ lives better through those same endeavors.

Showing intelligence is not ugly or unattractive. It’s not something that should be hidden away in favor of only focusing on our outer beauty. Intelligence is something that should be embraced, used and utilized in conjunction with our outer beauty so that we are well rounded and beautiful from our skin to our brains.

Click here for more Brains are Beautiful!

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