Smart people set smart goals
- By Eugene Clark
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E-mail China.org.cn, February 4, 2015
Attainable
Goals should be attainable. When goals are specific, well planned, adequately resources and realistic, it is amazing what can be achieved. At the same time, it is also important to be realistic. Otherwise a goal can be a disincentive or no incentive. When you begin to look at attainability you also are more likely to see opportunities that were missed, resources that were not tapped into, etc. This in turn leads to reaching what at first blush seems a very aggressive and even unattainable goal.
Realistic
Goals need to be realistic. They need to make sense and be aligned with the overarching values of the person or organization. One also needs to be realistic in terms of the cost, time and other resources required to be committed to achieving the goal. A person who has been barely studying, for example, is not going to suddenly ramp up their efforts to study five hours a night. A goal must be contextualized. In other words it must also be assessed in relation to all the other activities going on.
Timely/Tangible
Goals should have a timeframe that is both realistic and appropriate. That timeframe should spell out who is going to do what by when and with whom. If your goal is to lose weight, for example, there is little point and it is even counter productive to be overly aggressive and think that weight you took a year to put on will come off in one month.
Some writers use the 'T' for tangible. If you can tie the goal to your senses (sight, smell, touch, taste) that also will make it more real and likely to motivate.
Conclusion
True happiness and the maximization of human potential comes from achievement of goals, whether they are personal, professional, as a member of a team or as a citizen of a country. When we achieve our goals we are growing and learning and that in the end is the essence of life, the joy of the journey. Through the achievement of or goals, we as individuals and as a society advance and hopefully, leave the world a better place for our children and generations to come. When we set SMART goals we maximize the chances that the goals and our dreams will be achieved. Have a great 2015!
The author is a columnist with China.org.cn. For more information please visit: http://www.china.org.cn/opinion/eugeneclark.htm
Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors only, not necessarily those of China.org.cn.
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