Defining S.M.A.R.T. Goals to Realize Your Dreams

Finding your purpose and prioritizing your actions is not enough unless you set S.M.A.R.T. goals.

Jun 17, 2022

grayscale photo of person holding glass — Photo by GR Stocks on Unsplash

Hi,

Welcome to my newsletter once again and I do wish you a great weekend with your beloved ones. Let`s continue from where we left last week. Finding your purpose and prioritizing your actions is not enough unless you set S.M.A.R.T. goals.

Therefore we will talk about Defining S.M.A.R.T. Goals to Realize Your Dreams.

Without a plan, your dreams will not become a goal.
Without a goal, you cannot realize your dreams.
Known yet unrealized dreams will cause regret and you do not want that.

An execution plan is a bridge that connects you from your current state to the future state and consists of answers to 5W1H questions.

5W1H questions will help you make your goals S.M.A.R.T.

Specific

Measurable

Attainable

Relevant

Time-bound

If your plan does not meet the SMART criteria, it is less likely that you will achieve it.

Not only do you need to know the delivery dates of your deliverables, but you also need to come up with the critical milestones of that plan and set a delivery date for each of them so that you will know how realistic and achievable that final delivery date is.

Your plan will look like a horizontal tree and each branch are sub-actions feeding the main deliverable.

Considering the probability of any delays or risks in each branch is also a good idea to come up with plan Bs and mitigation plans.

Once you have this action tree, you need to put it into your calendar. Anything that does not go into your calendar is unlikely to happen.

PLEASE MAKE SURE THAT YOUR CALENDAR INCLUDES NOT ONLY YOUR BUSINESS PLAN BUT ALSO YOUR PERSONAL AND SOCIAL PLANS.

Your calendar is a reflection of your life and is like a personal assistant to keep you on track.

MAKE SURE YOUR WEEKLY CALENDAR HAS THE RIGHT ACTIONS TO KEEP YOU ON TRACK TO MEETING YOUR LIFE PURPOSE.

The calendar will trigger your daily and weekly schedule and your actions. Therefore, a schedule also means following a ritual. A ritual is not a religious or spiritual practice but a simple repetition process to create new habits.

Your character is an outcome of repeatedly learned patterns and the way to create new habits and acquire new skills is through continuous repetition, hard work, and perseverance.

I suggest you use an online calendar on your smartphone. It will be easy to carry and handy.

REMEMBER...

Not only plan for your business goals, but also your life in your calendar.

They are not separate and complement each other.

You have got only one single life. know what you really want. Don't live the life of others. Live your own life. Enjoy it.

If you have made it so far in this exercise, I would be happy to learn your thoughts and comments.

Here is a simple yet effective planning tool I would like to share FREE with you to help you plan better.