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S.M.A.R.T. Goals - Realistic
By Ben | July 4, 2008
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By now, you should have a goal that is specific, measurable, and stated ‘as if now’… this makes a goal very clear and incredibly motivating. The next step is to make sure your goal is Realistic.
This can be challenging.
When we first open ourselves up to all the possibilities around us, it seems as if there is no limit. And there really isn’t any limit on ‘possibility’. But there are limits on what is realistic for us. Whether these limits are only based on our own neurology (conditioning and beliefs), or some actual sequence of events and circumstances out in the ‘real world’ is not the point. The point is, if you don’t develop the ability to correctly assess what you can achieve in a given amount of time, you will always either fall short of what you could have achieved, or you will always fail to meet your goal.
It is also important to understand that it will never be perfect. Ideally, you should start to fall in the range between “I think I could have done a little bit more” (or a little bit better), and “Missed it by that much!” (fell just a little bit short)
It is better to err on the side of a little bit too much… only because this is very rare. Most people out there cut themselves short. They think they could never make the money they want to make, or get a job that is truly rewarding, or find a lover/significant other who really understands them, or have the deeply transcendental spiritual experiences they are looking for. Most people are all too willing to ’settle’. The motto seems to be “I’ll just take what I can get.” The unspoken portion of that saying is “without risking anything, or putting anything on the line”. This is a brilliant formula for mediocrity.
Let me give you two much more useful sayings. The first is a classic:
Nothing ventured, nothing gained!
Investment can be dangerous. Some people lose a lot of money. But if you don’t invest anything, you will never see any returns. If you don’t believe in yourself enough to take chances, then your successes will be mediocre at best. You have to start taking measured risks in order to have the success you want.
The second saying is my personal mantra:
Stop Settling!
We have to overcome the tendency to settle. Just because this is the best you have ever done, doesn’t mean you can’t do better. You had to learn to stand before you learned to walk. You had to learn to walk before you learned to run. If everyone decided to ’settle’ when they learned to stand… “I could try to walk… but I might hurt myself… I had best just stick with standing”… then no one would ever go anywhere.
Back in ‘98 when I set the goal of achieving a black belt in Kenpo by 2001, I was being a bit unrealistic. At the time, I didn’t even know how I would get where I needed to be to train for it. I’m glad that I went a little too far as opposed to not far enough. If I settled, I would probably still be hopping from school to school in Florida. As it stands, I earned my black belt in American Kenpo in 2005.
I’m far from perfect, but I’ve become much better at creating realistic goals.
Now that you have a Realistic goal, it is also important to make sure that it is Responsible.
A responsible goal is one that is good for you as well as the other people involved, the company, the city, the planet, etc.
Jose Silva did this by adding “for the best of all concerned” to any outcome he programmed.
This is never to be used as an excuse! It is much better to move toward a goal and then learn that it needs to be modified than to abandon the goal because of the possibility that it might not be the best thing for everybody.
As an example, I worked at a call center for a while. Although I was making what I considered decent money at the time, it was a very high stress job, and it was interfering with my other goals. In particular, I found it was taking away from my attention to this site and coaching opportunities… these are areas where I can really help people. I really liked the 401 K, but I had to quit the job. It was better for me, and the people I help.
Take some time to further refine your goals. Make sure they are Realistic. The will make your goals more achievable. And when you imagine them “As if now”, be sure the goal is Responsible in light of the pictured outcome. This will make your goals even more motivating!
keep smiling,
ben
Topics: -The Law of Attraction, -Neuro-Linguistic Programming, -Goal Setting, Change Your Neurology - Mundane |
July 7th, 2008 at 4:29 pm
Ben,
Old friend, I have recently started working with a group of friends to better our writing skills. We formed a writers group that meets weekly to assess each other’s work and develp a story that we would eventually like to see published.
What do you think of working on goals with others, and does it fit in with your SMART model?
Scott
[Reply]
Ben reply on July 7, 2008 11:05 pm:
Hey Scott,
I definitely think this model is usable with groups. Many corporations have adopted it, and it is used by the CEO as well as the rest of the employees. Group vision can be very powerful.
Having said that, you will have to make sure the whole group is on the same (or at least a similar) page. If everybody is up for it, you should dedicate a little bit of time to establish 1 or several SMART goals for your group.
Be clear about everything you want from this. Do you want to be published in a year? 2 years? I really have no idea what is realistic in this area. It might be easier to get your feet wet with getting 1 or more short stories published. I’m sure there are web tools available that will make this easier.
And incidentally, the SMART model isn’t mine, though it is one of the many things I teach. It has been around for a while, and I’m not certain where or when it originated (at least since the 80’s, probably earlier). I first read about it in “The Secret of Creating Your Future” by Tad James.
Best of luck with your writing!
ben
[Reply]