Stan Hampson Life Coaching

How to design empowering goals!

Have you had a goal that always seems to elude you?

Maybe it involves making lifestyle changes that promote a more physically healthy life. Perhaps it is reaching a specific financial goal. Or could it be taking the first step towards turning a childhood dream into reality? Regardless of your vision, there are skills in the way a goal is framed that will have a direct impact on the likelihood of that goal being successfully achieved.

It is very possible that you've heard the SMART acronym before, however here is one of the best versions of SMART for getting results! This one that I've found to be especially empowering is from the Academy for Coaching Excellence.

To maximize the chance of success with your goals, you will want each one to have all of the following attributes:

*Specific - to be successful at accomplishing a goal, we must first know specifically what it is that we want to accomplish. Focus on a clear vision and craft a goal that has no ambiguity. This is color, shape, and model.

*Measurable - now that you've got a specific goal, test it for 'measurability'. Ask yourself how will I know if I have successfully completed the goal? Can a friend tell you that you completed your goal? So, you might imagine, 'feeling better' is not a goal, however completing a walking marathon definitely passes the measurability test. This is an action you can point to and say, "This I did!"

*Attainable - we want our goals to be a stretch, something that will push us, but something that we know is attainable as well. Pie in the sky goals will only lead to frustration when they are not completed. Make goals that are realistic and build on your successes. Small, sweet steps make a goal 'doable.'

*Relevant - What passion are you fulfilling by completing this goal? What is your intrinsic reason 'why' you want to be successful? A goal needs to come from within you; it needs to touch your heart. When this heart connection has been made, you'll have an internal motivation to staying with your goal. A goal can never be forced upon you by someone else.

*Time Based - All goals need a date. Ask yourself what happens when we don't have a date. Of course, it slips and slips into next week, next month, and next year. Keep your goals set within one year or less. By all means have a vision for 5 and 10 years, just keep the goals smaller. Nearby steps toward making your vision come true give you a realistic time frame.

Other resources you may find useful (I sure have!)

Maria Nemeth, Ph.D., is a licensed clinical psychologist and master certified coach. She is the founder of the Academy of Coaching Excellence of which I am a graduate. Both of these books explore insights and practical steps and are often incorporated in my coaching.

MASTERING LIFE'S ENERGIES, Simple Steps to a Luminous Life at Work and Play, Maria Nemeth, Ph.D., New World Library, 2007

THE ENERGY OF MONEY, A Spiritual Guide to Financial and Personal Fulfillment, Maria Nemeth, Ph.D., The Ballantine Publishing Group, 1997