How to set SMART goals for 2016

By Joel Boggess

As the president of Oxford University once said to incoming freshmen, “All beginnings are hopeful.”

Martin Luther King Jr. said it this way, “Everything that is done in the world is done by hope.”

As the inventor moves forward to the next project, leaving behind some things done, and some things left undone, what are you hopeful to create and build as the New Year starts? Is it a new career; is it to strengthen your social relationships; or maybe it’s to grow in your own knowledge and understanding?

Whatever resolutions strum a powerful chord in your heart, make 2016 the year that the musical notes of your desires sing in perfect harmony.

As the skilled craftsman puts his chisel to the rock, as you begin to carve out your goals, be SMART.

S-Specific

As a world-class team takes to the field, every athlete has a very specific goal to play if they are to reach new levels of greatness in their sport.

In football, a quarterback has the job of passing, running, and leading, in basketball the power forward is usually the one found closest to the basket; fishing around for rebounds and blocking clutch shots.

Just as finely tuned athletes are specific, to reach a higher platform in our own lives, the same is true for the goals we set. This can be an easy and freeing experience.

To add a dose of clarity, if you are striving to make more money in 2016, how can you add the flavorful ingredient of specificity to the mixture? In this instance, you can set a dollar amount. Is it $100, or is it $10,000? You do control the specifics and rest assured, life will not pay a penny more than is asked.

M-Measurable

It is not enough to say “I would like to be in better health,” or “I would like to have a better relationship with my family.” To dig your feet in and get distance in the race, you need a system to measure your strides. Like a hamster caught in a spinning wheel, if you don’t know how far it is to finish the line, you’ll eventually run out of steam, possibly only a few feet from the tape.

A-Action bound

When NBA superstar Michael Jordan was sidelined in high school, after being cut from the varsity team, what would you say was his response? Do you think he spent much time sulking around his home, wishing and longing for basketball immortality? Or did he pull himself up by his bootstraps, (there weren’t Air Jordans back then) and take action?

That setback to him was fuel for his fire. In the words of the man who scored more than 30,000 points as a pro, “Whenever I was working out and got tired and figured I ought to stop, I’d close my eyes and see that list in the locker room without my name on it.”

R-Realistic

Tony Robbins says, “Think big, act big, and set out to accomplish big results.” Legendary architect Daniel Burnham said it this way, “Make no little plans. They have no magic to stir men’s blood and probably themselves won’t be realized.” Both of these giants were, and still are, right on the mark.

If the goal is to be known as one of the kings of motivation and inspiration, or to be the person whose efforts molded and shaped such great cities as Washington DC, and San Francisco, the question worth answering is, “What realistic steps can I take to start this journey today?

T-Time bound

A goal without a time line is like brushing up on your favorite fiction novel. While it might make for some interesting reading, fantasy, by itself, has a weak pulse.

To pump richer, life-giving oxygen into your goals, give them a time line. This will help you focus your efforts and give you the energy needed for shorter bursts of speed and strength that will propel you as round every corner in the race.

Be SMART in the way you spend this year. Time is the most valuable thing you can invest.

Never at a loss for words, Zig Ziglar says it best, “With definite goals you release your own power and things start happening.”

Joel Boggess is a certified behavioral and values analyst and provides executive career coaching. Joel can be reached at: joel@4pointscoaching.com.