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A SMART Goal Setting Theory
One goal setting theory is “SMART”. The theory states that goals should be specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timely or tangible. Corporations large and small use the SMART system to help employees set goals. But, the system can be used to set personal goals, as well as those that have to do with your career. In order to get started, all that you need is a pen and paper or your computer and a new document. Think for a minute about what you would like to achieve. You can start with broad, long-term goals, such as to lose weight and get in shape. You might use that as your “title”. From the non-specific “lose weight and get in shape”, you come up with specific steps, things that you can do every day, to be successful. “Watch what you eat and exercise” is still rather non-specific. If you want to be really specific, you can write up a weekly work-out routine and diet plan. Weight loss goals are easy to measure, by stepping on a scale or measuring your waist size. Measuring once a week is often enough. Other goals are harder to measure, but as a part of any goal setting theory, you need to come up with something. Let’s say that your long-term goal is to save $20,000 to make a down payment on a house. You want to reach that amount in two years. In order to do that, you will need to save about $200 per week. Is that achievable and/or realistic? If you think positively, it is. The only problem with SMART goals has to do with who determines if something is achievable or realistic. By using the power of positive thinking, anything is possible. All that you need to do is visualize. Visualization is a part of another goal setting . If your goal was to save $200 per week, every day, you would spend some time visualizing yourself depositing that money in the bank. Of course some goals are not realistic. You cannot lose 20 pounds in 24 hours. A more realistic (and healthy) goal would be to lose 20 pounds in six months. When it comes to getting in shape, it’s a good idea to learn how the body works to burn fat and build muscle. If getting rich is one of your goals, it’s a good idea to learn how to become a millionaire. So, in addition to learning goal setting theory, you probably have some other things to learn, too. Remember, knowledge is power.
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