Review & Renew with SMART Goals

Have goals and write them down.  Heard this before?  Anthony Robbins says that less than 2% of the population have goals and write them down.  Those that do achieve them almost 100% of the time.  Reviewing and renewing your goals is essential.  Keep them in plain sight so you are reminded of them daily-in your daytimer, taped to your terminal or on your fridge.  If they are out of sight, they soon become out of mind!

At least four times a year we need to “measure up!”  We need to ask ourselves where we are in achieving our goals.  Do they need be rewritten with different emphasis or definition?  September seems the perfect time for us all to review and evaluate our year to date success towards accomplishing our goals.  Hopefully we are well on our way to successful completion….or…perhaps we need to “dial it up” for the fourth quarter stretch!

Goals should be well balanced and in six distinct and different categories:

Financial-What we are doing to create financial stability either through earning or investing?

Family-How we spend our family time and in what level of quality and emphasis is this in our lives?

Social-Our time with friends to share and enjoy their company.

Physical/Health-How we are caring for our bodies through exercise and good food choices?

Mental-What we are doing to educate ourselves and “feed” our minds?

Spirituality-Our beliefs and actions of goodness and faith.

Goals need to be S.M.A.R.T. too!

They’re “smart” because they help you achieve things that are most important to you.

Specific: Time frames, numbers, dollars and results you want to see

Motivating: Goals that get you pumped and excited to work on them

Achievable: Goals you can reasonably reach by stretching just a bit!

Realistic: You can achieve them with your abilities and by applying your values

Trackable:  Monitor your progress as you go. What gets measured –gets done!

Ask yourself these questions to help you identify your goals:

What makes you happy or content?

What are you most proud of?

What do you simply want more of?

What makes you laugh?

What gives you a sense of accomplishment?

Each year in July, I attend the National Speakers Association Annual Convention.  This year it was in Atlanta, with 1800 top speakers from all over the world. I came back to Bellingham inspired, invigorated and humbled from the outstanding talent I had the honor and opportunity to associate with.

Renewal- looking at ways to re-energize oneself is essential if we are to offer our clients our very best. Whether it’s travel, education or just plain rest, in this fast paced world of ours, we need to catch our breath, look inside and invest in our most important asset-ourselves, to reach our highest potential.

It’s September. What are your plans to review and renew?  2006 is just around the corner.