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READY, SET, GOAL!

Author: Carolyn Koenig
October 2007

Features

A Simple Plan to Get You Where You Want To Be Next Year

Visualize yourself on a bright sunny day in October 2008. Are you relaxing on a beach in Maui on a long-deserved vacation? In a glass-enclosed office with your name on the door? Sitting at the head of the boardroom table—leading the meeting instead of planning it?

Hold that thought!

If you’re like many of us, this vision is generalized—a pretty picture that you hope will transpire, but lacking a concrete plan that will turn the vision into reality.

Whether it’s the back-to-school fresh start we’ve been programmed with since kindergarten, the bracing crispness in the air, or the fact that another year-end looms much too soon, fall is a good time to take stock, see where we are and where we want to be. It’s a head start on that annual ritual of New Year’s resolutions—with more resolve.

You may have some immediate, very short-term desires (lose five pounds by next month). But we’re talking about a big-picture goal for next year, one that will get you organized, result in a major success and maybe even stretch your boundaries. And everything you do starting now affects your dream scenario. It puts you on the road, with some measure of control. Instead of randomly going with the flow, depending on luck, you’ll be quicker to capitalize on opportunities. And there’s a better chance of being in the right place at the right time, creating that luck.

We’re sure you’re familiar with this type of long-term planning—after all, you start early on those annual meetings, complete with a timeline and game plan, don’t you? Just turn that expertise inward and make it personal.

READY

Carve out an evening to take a clear look at your goal for next year, and brainstorm the necessary steps to get there. Keep the thoughts positive—think “do this,” not “don’t do that.”

Realize that big goals require many small, interim steps to achieve. Think of your plan as a staircase: the top is the big picture, the vision; the bottom is the lowest rung, the starting point. Remember that as you build the staircase from the ground up, each step builds on the previous one and creates a solid block of accomplishments until you reach the top and that final goal.

SET

Setting goals—the process as well as the execution—requires a commitment; you can’t get from here to there without it. But the little successes along the way will encourage you to continue, improve your self-esteem and motivate you to larger successes.

A good way to formalize goals is to utilize the SMART system—not affiliated with us but the acronym sure caught our eye! (See goal-settingguide.com.)

Be sure to set up a tracking and measuring system at the same time: decide how often you’ll check your progress, and when. While short-term goals need daily check-ins and follow-up, longer-term goals may need weekly reviews. If you’re a morning person, do it first thing. If you’re an owl, end of day works best. The point is, set a schedule and stick to it.

GOAL

Once you’ve created a SMART plan, you’re on your way to reaching your goal. Reward yourself for each small accomplishment; bask in the glow, if only for a few minutes, of a job well done. Or make your reward more tangible: the Haagen-Dazs chocolate, the bubble bath, the leisurely walk.

But be aware that the path to success can have setbacks. Your timing may be off. Some steps may take longer than anticipated; some things can happen that are out of your control (an unexpected illness, for example). Sometimes you discover you need another skill, or need some help. Do it, learn it, ask for it. In fact, talking to people about your goal helps to keep you on track and gives you much needed support along the way.

If there’s a hitch, don’t beat yourself up; just stay committed to the program. As the saying goes, pick yourself up, dust yourself off and start all over again—at the last successful step, of course!

Then, next October, begin the process all over again.
 

S     =  Specific (the more focused, the better—and write them down)

M   =  Measurable (what you can’t measure, you can’t track or manage)

A    =  Attainable (if they’re too far out of your reach, you may not really try)

R    =  Realistic (make sure you have a real plan, for where you are right now)

T  =  Timely (make sure there’s an end date, a deadline so you have a clear target)