Goals, Keeping them S.M.A.R.T.: Principles 4 through 7

In my last blog post I talked about the first three principles to use when creating goals to achieve your Dream.  Today I want to talk about four more principles to follow when creating your goals.

4. Ready. Fire!  Aim.:

Even superheroes plan, and guess what?  Their plans never work out!  How do I know?  Because then we’d have no movies!  Listen, even in all of your superhero-iness (yes, I made up that word!), your plans are going to make loud sucking noises sometimes.  That’s ok!  We all do it!  There is no perfect plan, except the plan that gets you going.

So, create a definite plan and practice it daily to manifest your Dream.  Whether you are ready or not, the process will teach you.

And don’t close your mind, Captain Laser-Focus!  Keep your mind open Wonder Laser-Focus Woman!  Keep your heart open. Listen to everything.  Reflect on everything.  Learn by taking in what serves you.  Discard what doesn’t serve you.  Adjust your plan.  Then, move on.

5.  Writing It All Down:

            Clearly and concisely write down:

·      the amount of resources, skills, and funding you want

·      Lifelines!  (the time to accomplish your goals, working backward on a calendar from when you want to complete your Dream)

·      what you are willing to exchange for the funding, skills, or resources you need, all the while thinking seasons

·       a simple, clear, adjustable, daily plan to realize your Dream. 

6.  Reading Aloud Night and Morning:

Read your written statement and plans in the morning before you start your day to keep it in the forefront of your conscious mind, so you can engage the Reticular Activating System (RAS) in your mind and evaluate your activity in the day, practicing the 80/20 Rule, spending eighty percent of your time doing activities that are moving you toward your Dream and twenty percent of time on necessary activities that must be done but aren’t directly moving you toward your Dream (See my blog post about the RAS and Pareto Principle: "What If. . ." https://discoveringyourgreatness.blogspot.com/2018/07/what-if-pareto-principle-reticular.html).  Spend eighty percent of your attention focused on the top twenty percent of activities that will move you toward your Dream. Always keep your Dream in the back of your mind, your goals in the front of your mind, planted in concrete, and your plans in your hands, planted in sand, able to be adjusted for Course Correction.

Read your written statement aloud before bed, so you can evaluate your day, asking, “Did I move closer to my Dream today with what I did?”  If not, ask yourself what you can do differently tomorrow, and make a plan before you go to bed and rest well knowing you are being proactive with the life you want to lead, something ninety-five percent of the world population is not doing.  If so, then celebrate your successes and rest well knowing you are moving toward your Dream.

Read your written statement aloud before bed, so you can dream about your Dream and how you will manifest it.  As you sleep, your dreams will reveal new visions that will fill the gaps of your plan and move you forward.

7.  Make Your Goals S.M.A.R.T.:

            Use this acronym when making your goals so that they are very clear:

            Specific: Ask these kinds of questions to make the goal specific:  What do I want? Where?     When? How?  With Whom?  What are the conditions and limitations?  Why do I want to reach this goal?  What are potential, alternative ways of reaching this goal?                                                 

            Measureable: What is the concrete evidence you will see when you achieve your                                                 goal?  Saying I feel better because I am eating healthier is not concrete, but saying, I have lost seven pounds in the last two weeks and 3 inches in my waist is concrete.  Write down what you will                                                 see, hear, and feel when you achieve the goal.

            Attainable: Investigate if the goal is realistic.  You will have to give up to go up.  In other words, when you set a goal, it needs to be attainable, but it will also cost you something: time, money, less relationship time with some people, etc.  Count the cost.  Also, if you don’t have the time, resources, or skills to attain the goal, you will be discouraged.  Sometimes the goal we have must be set after we have accomplished some other goals that prepare us to achieve our original goal.              For example, taking a course developing skills necessary for our original goal because we lack the skills.  Set goals that are attainable and realistic.  Make them incremental if necessary.

            Relevant: Is the goal relevant to you?  Is it what you want?  Is it in your “wheel-house”?  Will it advance you on the trajectory of your Dream, or will it take you down a path away from your true Dream?  Is the goal relevant to your Why?  What’s the objective, and will this goal actually reach that objective?

            Timely: Install lifelines (not deadlines) for when the goal will be accomplished.  These can, of course, be adjusted, but having a time when the goal is accomplished matters to the daily, disciplined activity you must practice to accomplish the goal in a timely manner.  Keep the lifeline realistic and flexible enough to keep you from getting down on yourself.  Too strict of a lifeline becomes a deadline, and discouragement, leading to self-criticism never empowers you to continue the path to accomplish your goals.

In the Middle of the Night . . . Light!

Keep a pen and paper by your bed, so when you awaken with visions filling the gaps, you can write them down.  I’ve found if I don’t do this, I either forget the visions or the visions keep me up all night as I mull them over again and again.  You’ve got to get some sleep if you are going to live your Dream!