As the summer winds down and we transition into the fall season it seems like we are renewed with the feeling of a fresh start.  It’s as if we have been “off” for the summer with an endless amount of excuses as to why we didn’t get done what we wanted to do and now is the time to recharge and take charge towards our goals. However, goals are difficult to achieve if they are never truly set the right way! So here is how you set SMART goals the “Kelly Olin way” for your career and life.

SMART is a well known goal setting acronym for Specific – Measurable – Attainable – Realistic  - and Timely.  However, I have my own spin on what I think the letters should stand for! Let me break it down for you:

1. Specific: So the first letter I agree with. You should avoid being vague when writing out your goals. A vague goal is like a simple sketch without any color.  Being specific allows you to paint a more detailed picture of your goal and become more emotionally attached to it. For example if I say “House” or I say “Light Blue 1920’s Dutch Colonial Home with a white picket fence” which one comes to life in your mind?  Athletes, before they compete, envision themselves performing the way they want to. They envision crossing the finish line in first place and achieving their goal, and you should too! So, set a SPECIFIC goal so you can envision yourself achieving it! Ask yourself what success will feel like? Look like? Smell like? Taste like?

1. Motivation – When goal setting I firmly believe you MUST identify your motivation! Why is it that you even want to work towards this goal? A goal without motivation is like a car without gas! What is going to “fill you up” every morning and get you on the road?  It is critically important for you to be aware of your motivation and use it to channel your energy and priority to this goal.

1. Action Oriented – Within each goal you need to have an action plan or set of steps that will get you to your goal. A goal without an actionable plan is just a wish.  And if you don’t know exactly what you need to do to achieve your goal, you will never even start the journey. For example, if your goal is it get a job by the end of the year, but you have no idea what it takes to get a job, then you really need to sit down and plot out a plan with a career coach like myself. Your goal should include specific actions such as “do X, Y and Z by A, B and C.” While keeping the end in mind is good, you MUST still layout your plan and ACT on it!

1. Accountablity – So my version of SMART goals is more like SMAART goals! I’ve added a sixth characteristic which is accountability. MOST of us are not exactly capable of holding ourselves accountable to our own goals and for this reason it is always helpful to engage others. For example, create a goal poster (which is also a motivational tool to help you envision your success when you achieve your goal) and post it on your refrigerator for everyone to see. Tell your friends, when I achieve this goal, then we get to do X.  This is an accountability structure that will help you stay on course, even when you personally just want to give up. It makes your goal larger than just you, and thus you feel more pressure to press on, even when you encounter obstacles. Good old peer pressure… harness it to your benefit!  I welcome you all to proclaim your goals to the world by posting them on my facebook page http://www.facebook.com/pages/kelly-olin-coaching-and-training#!/pages/Kelly-Olin-Coaching-and-Training/123587080997870

1. Realistic – I firmly believe it is important to raise the bar and stretch for your goals but at the same time you must be honest with yourself. Achieving a goal is simply the intersection of the effort you are willing to put in and the performance necessary in order to earn the reward.  Therefore, if the action that is required to earn the reward, and the effort you are willing to put in do not match, then you are just setting yourself up for failure.  In this case, you should adjust your goal to more appropriately match your willingness to do the work.  For example, let’s say your goal is to lose 10 pounds in one month which would require you to workout 5 times per week and diet. However based on your schedule and priorities, you are only willing to workout 3 times per week and diet on the weekends. In this case, maybe you would want to adjust your goal to losing only 4 pounds within the month, or keep it to losing 10 pounds, but adjust the timeframe to 2 or 3 months. Make sense?

1. Timely: Goals need to have quantifiable parameters. One vital parameter is time. What is your timeline for achieving your goal? What are the measureable steps along the way and by when must you complete each of them in order to say on track? In addition to time, you should have other measurable parameters in order to track your progress.  Have you ever heard the expression “what get’s measured get’s done”? Well it’s the truth!

So there you have it! My version of SMART goals! Remember, the first step to moving towards what you want is defining what success even is! I would love to hear from you and I can’t wait to see all your goals posted on my facebook page. Let’s get going!

Kelly