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Dear Subscriber, Welcome to our latest issue of coaching focus from creative partner! This time the topic is 'Setting SMART Goals'. I hope you will find this e-zine both practical and interesting, and that you will share this with colleagues and friends. Warm regards,
How do you know what kind of goals to set? The whole point of setting goals, after all, is to achieve them. It does you no good to go through the trouble of brainstorming, evaluating the needs of your business or personal life and burning up precious time, only to end up with goals that are not acted on or completed. The best goals are SMART goals. SMART is a handy acronym for the five characteristics of well-designed goals: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Timely. So, how do you set SMART goals for your business or personal life? Specific - A specific goal has a much greater chance of being accomplished than a general goal. Your goals should be straightforward and emphasize what you want to happen. Specifics will help you to focus on your efforts and clearly define what you are going to do. To set a SMART goal answer the three 'W' questions: 1. WHAT are you going to do? Use action words such as
organize, coordinate, develop, plan, build etc. Ensure the goals you set are very specific, clear and easy. Instead of setting a goal to network, set a specific goal to attend two networking events. Measurable - Establish concrete criteria for measuring progress toward the attainment of each goal you set. When you measure your progress, you stay on track, reach your target dates, and experience the exhilaration of achievement that spurs you on to continued effort required to reach your goal. To determine if your goal is measurable, ask HOW questions, e.g. How much? How many? How will I know when it is accomplished? Here's an example: "I want to read 3 business related books of 50 pages on or before September 30th of 2008." This shows the specific target to be measurable versus "I want to read a business book" is not as measurable. Attainable - When you identify goals that are most important to you, you begin to figure out ways you can make them happen. You develop the attitudes, abilities, skills, and financial capacity to reach them. You begin seeing previously overlooked opportunities to bring yourself closer to the achievement of your goals. You can attain most any goal you set when you plan. Realistic - To be realistic, a goal must represent an objective toward which you are both willing and able to work. A goal can be both high and realistic; you are the only one who can decide just how high your goal should be. However, be sure that every goal represents substantial progress. A high goal is frequently easier to reach than a low one because a low goal exerts low motivational force. Some of the Timely - A goal should be grounded within a time frame. With no time frame tied to it there is no sense of urgency. If you do not set a time, the commitment is too vague. It tends not to happen because you feel you can start at any time. If you want to get two more clients, by when do you want to have them? 'Someday' won't work. Instead, anchor it within a timeframe e.g. "by May 1st". Now, you have set your unconscious mind into motion to begin working on the goal; it gives you a clear target to aim for. Time must be measurable, attainable and realistic. I suggest you don't have more than 5 to 7 goals at any given time because to achieve your goals you have to focus your efforts and attention. I would love to hear some of your goals so please feel free to share them with me. You can send your goals to coaching@creativepartner.com. If you would like feedback on your goals, please let me know and I'm happy to get back to you. If you feel you need support setting or achieving your goals, I have some one-on-one coaching sessions available. Please e-mail or call me to set up a complimentary coaching call.
One Page Fact Sheet Instead of a full press kit, you can create a quick, one-page fact sheet with all relevant information in form of a bulleted list. This one-page fact sheet will be easy to fax and ideally you have it stored electronically or as a website page as well. This way it's easy for the media to open, print, or copy and you can e-mail it to others.
"People with goals succeed because they know where they are going. It's as simple as that." ~ by Earl Nightingale
Ask and You Will Succeed: 1001 Ordinary Questions to Create
Extraordinary Results Description: If you have been asking the wrong questions and getting nowhere, take a new look at what you can accomplish by asking the right questions... - Fulfill your deepest dreams Shortcut your journey to success. The insightful, probing questions contained in this book will lead you to understand and create your uniquely personal roadmap to the life you most want.
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