SMART Goals Redefined

'Would you please tell me, which way I ought to go from here?’ asked Alice.

'That depends on where you want to go,' said the Cat.

`I don't much care where to go' said Alice.

`Then it doesn't matter which way you go,' said the Cat."

In today's competitive business climate, it does matter which way you go. Goal setting is the foundation for personal and business success.  That is the reason; goal setting is one of the most common points stressed in most of the self improvement and motivational books and programs. They tell you that you need to set SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant & Time Bound) goals. Importance of documenting & reviewing is also emphasized very often. All these help to keep you heading in the direction of whatever goal it is that you want to reach. Setting SMART goals and writing them down is a good practice. However, having a goal, writing it down and putting it in a visible place is not enough. Please do not get me wrong, I am an ardent believer in setting goals and writing them. I have also written couple of articles on the same (you can read them on this blog). All I am saying is setting conventional SMART goals is necessary but not sufficient for making a fortune or ‘making a dent in the universe’, if I put this in Steve Jobs’ words. It is time to redefine the goal setting. Perhaps one word per letter is no longer enough to define a useful acronym. We need to expand the meaning of the acronym SMART. The redefined SMART goals for goal setting will help you crystallize what you want and give you the required push in the direction of your dreams.

Redefined (expanded) SMART goals are:

Specific, stretching, systematic, synergistic and significant

Measurable, meaningful, memorable, motivating and magical

Achievable, action provoking, action plans, accountability, acumen and agreed-upon

Relevant, realistic, resonating, results-oriented, rewarding, responsible, reliable, rooted in facts and remarkable

Time bound, timely, tangible and thoughtful

If you already know where are you going and have a vehicle to drive you there, too. Where will you get your fuel from? What is your motivation behind all the labor? Why do you want to do something? Why do you want to be someone? Why do you want to get somewhere? Getting an honest answer to these whys is much more important & crucial to complete the journey gracefully.

Many people start their journey towards hefty goals with lot of zeal and you know how many succeed? The secret of those handfuls of people in chasing the goals and being successful is, ‘they had enough fuel’. They worked with a purpose.

You need to have a sound reason behind the goal i.e. there has to be a sustained motivation till you reach the goal. That is the fuel that keeps the motivation going. Reminding ourselves why we are striving for a goal is like refueling at a petrol station on a trip. That may not be so necessary for our short term goals but it is vital for long term ones. More than keeping the goal visible we need to keep the why visible.

P.S. Read my other articles (from archive in this blog) on Why to Set Goals?,
How to set goals? & How to reach goals?