Setting and Achieving Your Goals: Tips to Keep You on Track

We all know that feeling when January 1st comes around and we are suddenly filled with motivation to better ourselves. We make grandiose plans and proclaim that this will be the year we finally get in shape, learn a new skill, or save up enough money to travel. But then, a few weeks (or days) later, that motivation starts to fizzle out and our goals become nothing more than a distant memory. Why does this happen? And more importantly, how can we avoid it??

One of the main reasons why New Year’s resolutions fail is because they are not based on realistic goals. Most of us are familiar with the S.M.A.R.T method when it comes to goal setting. This classic approach to goal setting was coined by George T. Doran in the November 1981 issue of Management Review. (Bonus fun fact: if you were born PRIOR to November 1st, 1981, YOU'RE OLDER than the term "smart goal ????)

According to a Harvard Business Study:

• 83% of the population does not have goals!
• 14% have a plan in mind but haven't written their goals down.
• Only 3% have goals written down.
• The study went on to find that the 14% of people who have goals are 10 times more successful than those without goals.
• Even better, the 3% with written goals are 3 times more successful than 14% with unwritten goals.

While researching goals setting and goal achieving, I came across the terms P.A.C.T goals as well as S.M.A.R.T.E.R goals. Here at the Revenue PI we teach SMACCEM Goals. The great thing about SMACCEM goals is that if you fall off track at any time you can reclaim your big visions and goals and make the year your year! AND if you fall off track with one goal, it doesn’t derail all your other goals, WHY? Because you’re gonna SMACCEM ALL!!

SMART(ER) Goals

• Specific (simple, sensible, significant) Your goal should be well defined, clear, and unambiguous.
• Measurable (meaningful, motivating) You can easily measure your progress towards the accomplishment of the goal.
• Achievable (agreed, attainable) The goal should seem attainable and not impossible to achieve.
• Relevant (reasonable, results based) The goal should be aligned with your current priorities.
• Time bound (time-based, time limited, time/cost limited, timely, time-sensitive). Your goal should have a clearly defined timeline, including a starting date and a target end date.
• Evaluate (Assess, Guage, Appraise) Have you been hitting your goals? Evaluate to determine the significance, worth, or condition of each goal
• Revise (Amend, Alter) If the goal no longer aligns with your vision or mission OR you feel it’s no longer relevant revise it.

PACT Goals

• Purposeful - Your goal should not only be pertinent to you right now, but also to your long-term life purpose. If you don't really care, it will be far more difficult to stay committed to your goal. You feel considerably more driven when a goal is in line with your hobbies and your life's goals.
• Actionable - A good goal is based on outcomes that you can manage. Your goal should be manageable and attainable. It all boils down to changing your perspective from distant future results to immediate current outcomes that are within your control and reach, acting now rather than over planning for the future.
• Continuous - It's crucial that the steps you take to reach your goal are straightforward and repeatable. Choice paralysis is a major explanation of why so many goals are not accomplished. When there are so many possibilities, you may find yourself spending more time researching than taking action that would move you closer to your objective. Continuous goals have the advantage of being flexible. Start today, and as you gain more knowledge, you can modify your strategy. Instead of achieving a purported end goal, the focus should be on continuous progress.
• Trackable - Not Measurable. This goal is all about stats. Stats overrated and do not always relate to various goals. But this tracking is based on the “yes" or "no" approach to goal tracking. Do you have the necessary actions? Have you reached out to three potential clients? Have you posted your recurring blog entry? Are you sure? This makes it very simple to monitor your progress.

SMACCEM Goals

• Specific – This doesn’t change. You still want to make your goals as specific as possible
• Measurable - Enables you to judge whether your efforts have been successful. Your goals become crystal clear since there is no question as to whether you reached them or not.
• Achievable – Anything that is achievable can be completed. You must be completely honest with yourself while creating goals for yourself; otherwise, you risk never achieving them. Achievable goals typically involve some level of commitment, passion, perseverance, or intelligence.
• Compatible - Your goals must align. Do you have too many things going on, do they drag you in different directions? Does concentrating on one goal prevent you from concentrating on another? Maybe some of your goals need to be eliminated. What matters the most?
• Consistency - Are you ready to consistently carry out your plan of action to achieve your goals? If so, you will always succeed in reaching your goal within a margin of error. If not, don't tell yourself lies, that goal may need to be adjusted or come off your plate but whatever goal you set. Work on it continuously.
• Equipment / Tools (people) – What equipment, resources and or tools do you or will you need to accomplish your goals? If your goal is to lose weight, do you need to hire a personal trainer or do you need to buy weights from Academy?
• Money (Dollars / Dinero) – How much will this cost? How much money will you need to accomplish your goals? How much will that personal trainer cost? Or those weights??

While the SMART(ER) and PACT methods are good ones, not all goals are necessarily time bound for business owners. There may be goals that we want to accomplish but not necessarily by a particular date. Just because you have a goal of going on a trip of a lifetime dream vacation, your world will not end if that isn’t accomplished by the end of the year. BUT what are the small baby step goals you are making to accomplish that? And to be quite honest, if you’ve been specific and have a measurable goal, time bound will be a part of your goal. Always remember to ask yourself… What are the resources I need to accomplish my goals? What is the Time, Money and Tools that will help my goals to successfully SMACCEM.

Here's the thing, no matter what it's called, hate it or love it as a business owner we need goals that not only align with our business but also our purpose. Our brain begins to equate goal setting with failure when we put ourselves in a position to fail. So, we refrain from setting goals. As you start planning on setting your goals for the year, it is important to keep the following tips in mind:

Be Specific: Ambiguous goals are harder to achieve because it is difficult to measure your progress. For example, instead of saying you want to “get in shape,” commit to running 3 times a week for 30 minutes. This way, you can track your progress and give yourself a sense of accomplishment as you reach small milestones along the way.

Make it achievable: It is important to set goals that challenge you but are still within reach. If your goal is too easy, you will get bored and quickly abandon it. On the other hand, if your goal is impossible or requires too much effort, you will quickly become discouraged. Find a happy medium by committing to something that is challenging but still achievable.

Set a deadline: Giving yourself a timeline creates a sense of urgency and keeps you motivated to stay on track. Without a deadline, it is easy to push your goal off indefinitely which makes it less likely that you will ever actually achieve it. So, pick a date and stick to it! Whether it’s signing up for a race six months from now or taking a trip in two years, put your deadline in writing so you can visually track your progress.

Have a plan: It is difficult to achieve any goal without knowing how you are going to go about doing it. Once you have identified your goal, take the time to map out a plan of action. This could involve anything from creating a budget and researching travel deals for your future trip to signing up for an online course or buying new workout clothes to help get you motivated for hitting the gym more often. Whatever it is, having a road map will help increase the likelihood that you actually achieve your goal.

By following these simple tips, you can set yourself up for success in achieving your goals! Remember to be specific about what you want to achieve, make sure your goal is achievable, set a deadline, and have a plan of action mapped out. And most importantly, don’t be afraid to dream big! After all, if you don’t set lofty goals for yourself, how will you ever achieve anything truly worthwhile?

If you want to learn how the Revenue PI can help you set your goals, schedule a free consultation today!