Goal setting- SMART, Personal (Short, Medium or Long term)

We know that Goals setting (SMART) for personal whether short, Medium or Long term are very important because they give us a sense of direction. Most people are vague about what their major goals are in life. They think that I want to be rich, happy and make a good living are goals. These are all wanted and none of them are clear goals.

How can we reach a destination that has not been defined? There is a lot of wisdom in these three words- destination determines direction.

As we have heard Talent will get you to your destination but provided you know where it is.

Goal-setting is a series of steps. The components of goal-setting are similar to that of a plane ticket. When you buy a Plane ticket, what does it say? It gives starting destination, date, time; finish destination date, time; class of travel, distance, price, etc. Goals must be SMART.

S-Specific
M-Measurable
A-Achievable
R-Realistic
T-Time Bound

Successful professionals in the world are the ones who set targets, remain focused and are driven by goals. They are result-oriented, not just activity-oriented. They realize that while there are no results without activity, all activities do not give results. Hence, they choose their activities very carefully, based on priorities and make sure they get the result. The only difference between the successful and unsuccessful professional is a few zeroes at the end.

A good sales professional is focused, yet he is not blind to what is going on around him. Big dreams act like magnets, attracting you closer to your destination. Time is a perishable commodity. Ask a hotelier if they have not sold a room for one night, can the other 364 nights cover the loss for that one night? The Answer is No, is gone forever. 

A person who is serious about achieving his goal always has a time-bound action plan broken down into small segments. Goals can be:

·         Short-term – up to one year
·         Medium-term – up to three year
·         Long-term – up to five years or more.

Goals are more easily achieved if they are broken into small ones even feather. How do you achieve yearly goals? The same way you eat an Apple! The answer is one bite at a time! There is a 

Mechanism to achieve your goals. Divide your yearly goal into the smallest common denominator like

·         Semi-annual
·         Quarterly
·         Monthly
·         Weekly
·         Daily
·         Hourly

A good sales professional is focused and goal-oriented. He has time-bound targets. To do that write down goals and read them daily. Pen down your yearly and hourly goals on a sheet of paper in your office or home just to make sure you keep meeting your hourly goals. If you meet your hourly goals, you will automatically meet your weekly, monthly and yearly goals, but if you are behind on your hourly goal, it disturbs the timing of other goals as well. People who say, ‘I did not meet my goal today but I will make up for it tomorrow. I don’t believe it, because their commitment is missing.

Even more, if a goal is within reach, does it motivate us? The answer is no, it doesn’t. If it is within our grasp and easy to reach, it gives us no sense of achievement or accomplishment even if we achieve it. Therefore, goals must require a stretch. They must be slightly out of reach but not out of sight.

Goals out-of-reach are motivating but goals out-of-sight are demotivating.

Conclusion: 

People who are goal-oriented have a competitive advantage over others. If you are a long-term player and want to succeed as a professional, then being fully committed to setting and achieving your goals and measuring your progress on a daily basis is the recipe for success. The key words are measuring your progress on a daily basis, ’because nothing magical is going to happen at the last moment unless a consistent effort has been made in advance.

 A major reason is the lack of clarity on the definition of a goal. Most people confuse dreams with goals. They have dreams and they think they have goals. Goals are dreams with a deadline, a clear direction and a plan of action. Dreams and wishes are nothing more than desires. Desires are weak. Dreams become goals only when they are SMART.

I also have a blog on Success Formula of Life.

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