By Carrie Katz
What do you want out of life? Do you want to live your vision of success? Do you want to accomplish your dreams?
How many of us want more, dream big, and look for balance or advancement—only to set goals without ever accomplishing them?
If this sounds like you, I would like to introduce you to a basic goal setting idea called SMART. Although I did not invent this method, and I am not alone in using it to help my clients realize their dreams by setting goals, I want to share this technique because this is where true transformation takes place.
If you are at all like me, there is always some resistance in the gap between what I want to achieve and getting through the tiny steps it takes for a tangible achievement! My big life goals in the past five years have been to record a 14-song CD of original songs and write a companion book. The true end goals aren’t even in those accomplishments, but in touring, promoting, and living a larger calling. When I looked only at the end goals, I was completely overwhelmed. So I began to break them down, step by step, and I learned how to celebrate each win as a victory, a mountain I climbed. I then rested a bit, looked up and across, and in the pause saw the next peak on the horizon. There is nothing more empowering than celebrating your wins! And nothing is more rewarding than having a vision and being passionate about what you love and getting stuff done!
This acronym, SMART, refers to the essential elements in goal setting that are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic/Relevant and Time-Framed.
The objective here is to give you the framework to set your goals in a way that makes them well-defined and clear. If you follow these guidelines your chances of success will increase because you are using one of the most effective ways of formulating an action plan.
SMART goal setting can be applied for and within any creative process: be it for personal growth; professional, entrepreneurial or organizational goals; or artistic and creative projects. It works because it requires that you create a written plan. In terms of coaching, SMART asks that you consider reasonable and measurable long-and short-term objectives. You are held accountable!
SMART also is a technique that adapts to your reality, your needs, and your time frame. It took me four years to record my CD, for example. You are the only person to know if your goal is SMART for you. You can begin by asking yourself what you want, and start with a long-term, “by the end of the year” type of statement. Short-term goals follow: you can include, daily, weekly, or monthly targets that will move you toward your reasonable goals.
Here’s how it works:
SMART Outline
SPECIFIC: BE SPECIFIC: A goal must be specific, not vague. “I’ll loose weight” vs. “I’ll loose five pounds this month” or “I want more clients” vs. “I want five new clients.” Get detailed. There is another important reason to get clear about what you want: The power of visualization is known to be effective. In the professional athletic world, for example, players and teams visualize winning! There is power in training the mind. It’s an important exercise in getting to know your true desires, of dreaming big, and getting better at articulating exactly what you want and what it looks like.
Clearly state what is to be achieved—by whom, where, and when. If necessary, state why the goal is important. Even if these questions may not apply to every goal, your task is to make your goal setting as clear as possible.
MEASURABLE: Make sure your goal is measurable! A MEASURABLE GOAL provides concrete information, such as “I will present my product to three potential customers this week.” Quantifying the results, making them concrete, is a definitive way to measure your success! Also, pose the question of quantity—how much, how often, how many? Your milestones are your personal roadmaps that keep you on track in achieving your goals.
ACHIEVABLE: Your goals must be achievable and therefore reasonable and doable, not just practical. One person I worked with wanted to become a published author but hadn’t written anything. However, he did have master’s degree in education and lots of teaching and storytelling experience, so this was achievable—but we had to break down the blocks and steps necessary for it to happen. He is now working on his second book!
You want to set yourself up to succeed. You (or your group) need to have a buy in; you need to believe it’s possible. Consider the time factor and your available resources.
REALISTIC: BE realistic! BE relevant! Honestly evaluate yourself and make sure you don’t overdo it. For example, if you are considering making a presentation to 300 people but you have difficulties and lack practice in public speaking, you might want to get some training and practice under your belt. This honesty is not a procrastination tactic; rather, it is pushing yourself to build experience to achieve success on your terms. So it takes more time to be trained and get comfortable on stage. You and your audience are worth it!
Having an action plan and getting realistic about your limitations is part of goal achievement. This is not a race. You set a realistic time frame and foundation in your action plan so that you can succeed. What is most realistic for you? In this case, you might consider starting with a beta group of four people and gradually increasing your comfort level for larger audiences. Each up-leveling is a win.
Your goal must be relevant to what you want to achieve and in-line with your personal vision, mission, and purpose. Think long-term and short-term goals.
TIME-BOUND: Have a Time Frame! Having a set time frame gives your action plan structure, and it creates a sense of urgency and the impetus to act. Talking about “someday” is not going to get you there. You need an end date, a deadline to measure and monitor your progress, to motivate you into action. Procrastination is a pitfall most are all too familiar with, and deciding what you want to do and having an action plan will help you figure out the next steps. It is always better to have an action plan and to know what you need to do in order to get to where you want to be.
SMART is your action plan, your roadmap!
You can achieve and live a life of full potential!
And remember to be kind to yourself!
Carrie Katz is a professional singer/songwriter and writer who has been performing for over 20 years. She has worked professionally in other creative fields such as; Film (Documentary and Feature), Television, the Music Industry, Performance Art and Theatre, which gives her a unique position for creative entrepreneurs and media/arts/entertainment, as Life Coach for Creative Professionals. She gives workshops and writes articles, and is currently writing her first book that will be published with her upcoming CD Launch. Carrie’s mission and passion is to motivate and support creatives to sort out what values are at the core of who they are and how to achieve their goals while being in alignment and integrity. In short, to unleash their potential and be a gift to the world. Visit www.carriekatzcoaching.com.
This article is a chapter from the book Transform Your Life! written by 60 real-life heroes and experts and available at Amazon.com, BN.com, www.Transformation-Publishing.com and all ebook formats.