It’s easy to have a goal: where you’d like to live, how you want to look or feel, and what you want to achieve in your career. As professionals, we work towards constant self-improvement, both physically and mentally.
Setting a goal is one step closer to achievement, but the steps you take afterwards make or break your success. Goals that are admirably aspirational beyond your current abilities may feel good but can have a negative impact on your self-worth. Negative feelings, frustration, and helplessness grow without clear direction (Miner 2005).
SMART goals are one commonly accepted goal-setting strategy in fitness, business, and personal spheres. This acronym represents the qualities of an achievable goal: it must be Specific, Measurable, Assignable, Realistic, and Time-Related (Doran 1981). Setting a goal with all these qualities is easier when you have a realistic assessment of your starting point. Establishing a baseline and measuring improvement over time is an essential and often overlooked resource.
Setting a goal is one step closer to achievement, but the steps you take afterwards make or break your success. Goals that are admirably aspirational beyond your current abilities may feel good but can have a negative impact on your self-worth. Negative feelings, frustration, and helplessness grow without clear direction (Miner 2005).
SMART goals are one commonly accepted goal-setting strategy in fitness, business, and personal spheres. This acronym represents the qualities of an achievable goal: it must be Specific, Measurable, Assignable, Realistic, and Time-Related (Doran 1981). Setting a goal with all these qualities is easier when you have a realistic assessment of your starting point. Establishing a baseline and measuring improvement over time is an essential and often overlooked resource.
References
Doran, G. T. (1981). "There's a S.M.A.R.T. Way to Write Management's Goals and Objectives", Management Review, Vol. 70, Issue 11, pp. 35-36.
Miner, J.B. (2005). Organizational Behaviour 1: Essential theories of motivation and leadership. Oxon: Routledge.