Goal Setting the SMART way

I heard a saying once, "If you don't know what the moneys for, you can't get the money"

How true is that statement? I know a lot of other factors come into play however Goal Setting and having Vision of what your perfect world would look like is so important if you want to persist to move forward towards what you desire in your life.

Money is really the bi-product. It's not really about the money, but what the money will give you when you have an abundance of it. It will give you the fine car and picturesque house so ideally we have to stop wanting the million dollars and begin visualizing around what the million dollars is for and more importantly WHY.

To truly attain a goal or dream it must be well defined. Ask yourself, What do you really want out of life? The subsequent SMART system is a proven structure of defining and developing Goals.

S: Specific. A specific Goal has a much greater chance of being achieved than a general goal so, identify your defined why and what you are passionate about and trying to achieve. It may be financial, spiritual, health, material etc
An example: A broad-spectrum Goal would be, "Get into shape" but a specific Goal would say, "Join a fitness club and exercise for 1 hour 3 times a week" or a further example, "I want a new car" but to be specific would read, "My new black SLK-class Mercedes Benz, with black leather interior and electric seats and fixtures"
Take time to visualize having achieved what you long for. How do you feel now that you have achieved your Goal? Get emotionally involved with the END RESULT.

M : Measurable. Establish concrete criteria for measuring progress toward the achievement of each Goal you establish. When you evaluate your progress, you keep on track, reach your set dates, and experience the exhilaration of accomplishment that spurs you on to continued effort mandatory to get to your GOAL.
To determine if your Goal is measurable, ask questions such as......How much time will I need? How will I know when it is accomplished?
Your goal must be calculable. Saying "I want to be out of debt" definitely isn't going to get you the results you want. Saying, "I will earn $50K by December 1, 2010" is far more positive. The result, of course, will be that you are out of debt as well.

A: Attainable. When you distinguish Goals that are most important to you, you begin to figure out ways you can make them come true. You develop the attitudes, abilities, skills, and monetary capacity to reach them. You begin seeing previously overlooked opportunities to bring yourself closer to the achievement of your goals.
You must trust that you are able to achieve your Goal. It may seem to some extent unrealistic to you now, but it shouldn't seem insurmountable.

R: Relevant . Your Goal should be something you are passionate about - you should be emotionally involved with your goal and desire and not someone elses!
A lofty Goal is frequently easier to attain than a low one because a low goal exerts low motivational drive. Some of the hardest jobs you ever accomplished in fact seem easy simply for the reason that they were a labor of love.

T : Timely. Your Goals should have an expected date of completion. This is usually an educated estimate. With no time frame tied to it there's no sense of urgency.

If you want to lose 10 lbs, when do you want to lose it by? "Someday" won't work. But if you affix it surrounded by a timeframe, "by June 1st", then you've set your unconscious way of thinking into motion to begin working on the Goal.

Once you have set your Goals, expend time daily reflecting on them. Write them onto Goal Cards and carry them with you all over. Identify what actions are essential to take on a daily and weekly basis to achieve your Goals. In addition, identify what actions you at present are taking that are NOT in alignment with achieving your Goals. Follow through with consistent, focused action. When you have Goals you are emotionally connected with and are passionate about, taking action will be easy.