Goals

“We will open the book.  Its pages are blank.  We are going to put words on them ourselves.  The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year’s Day.”  ~Edith Lovejoy Pierce

The first day of 2011 is an exciting day for me. I like to take a look back at 2010 and see what worked for me and what did not work. I also like to set some new goals for the new year!! Goals are a tricky thing, sometimes it is hard to know where to get started so here are a few tips to think about when setting new goals (or even if you want to take a look at your old ones!).

Make your goals – SMART goals!!

Specific: Make your goals as specific as possible. It is one thing to say “I want a million dollars” and it is another to take a look at exactly how are you going to get there. Let’s say a good specific goal would be ” I want a job in my preferred field”. From there you are have to take a look at what steps are you going to take to get to that specific goal. (i.e. Revise my resume, start looking at the classifieds, etc.)

Measurable: A great goal is one that you know you have reached. So using the example of looking for a job in your field, you know you have reached it by attaining a job in your preferred field. Sounds simple right? Exactly and it is a really important thing to look at when you set your goals . Ask yourself: “How will I know when I have reached my goal?”

Achievable: Do not be your own worst enemy!! Set goals that are within your reach in the near future. Setting goals that are beyond your reach hinders your motivation and makes it hard to keep and set goals!

Realistic: Once again you want to set a goal that is attainable within your means of time and resources. To set a vague unrealistic goal will only frustrate you! Set goals that are realistic for you.

Timely: Deadlines are crucial for setting goals. It is one thing to say I want to have a new job, but by when? Not having a deadline that is time sensitive would make it easier for you to procrastinate. Keep yourself motivated by having a deadline to meet!

Here are some other websites about setting SMART goals:

SMART Goal Examples

10 Steps to Setting SMART Goals

What is your goals this year? We would love to hear from you!

Wishing you all the best in 2011!
Kendra