Members,
When creating a pledge or setting a personal goal it is really important to keep in mind the acronym SMART. Setting a goal is more than simply writing a vague statement. A smart goal has a greater chance of being accomplished than a general goal. The SMART acronym stands for:
Specific: Your goal must be detail-oriented. You must know the Who, What, Where, When, Which and Why of your goal.
Measurable: Establish tangible criteria for measuring progress toward the achievement of each goal you set. When you measure your progress, you stay on track, reach your target dates, and experience the exhilaration of achievement that spurs you on to continued effort required to reach your goal.
To determine that your goal is measurable, ask questions such as......How much? How many? How will I know when it is accomplished?
Achievable: There's an art to goal setting that revolves around the goal's difficulty. A goal too easy is not energizing. A goal too difficult seems hopeless. Both too easy and too difficult are goal setting no-no's. Set the level of challenge somewhere in between. A good way to decide that a goal is achievable but challenging is to visualize yourself reaching the goal. Can you see yourself there? Are you energized by seeing the vision? If both of these are not present, revisit your goal.
Realistic: Goals ought to represent an objective you are realistically able to do. Aim high, but make sure you have the right attitude and skills to reach big goals. Always having small goals is not exactly advisable either as they limit your potential. A realistic goal pushes and stretches the individual, but it does not break him.
Time based: A goal should be anchored on a time frame?otherwise there is no urgency in accomplishing it.
Example: By January 15th, I will cut down my consumption of any alcoholic beverages (wine, beer, mixed drinks) to a maximum of 1 drink per day.
Now that you know what a SMART goal is, I invite you to go into “My goals” in your toolbox and create three new SMART goals.
Samantha, Bilingual Health Educator
