‘Castles in the air’ seems like a strange thing to describe, and a little fantastical to imagine, but how would you describe a castle? A few things may come to mind such as a fortified building, a place of security, something that people need, or something grand; and castles certainly portray an image of strength and safety. Castles are also great feats of building and are stunning to look at. There’s something magical about them.
Many people rely on their dreams to help them along in life. Even if their dream is pure fantasy, it’s nice to have something to keep in mind to give us hope of something better; it inspires us. Dreams could be considered an escape from our circumstances, something we are striving for, or planning ahead for a better future.
As we hold onto our dreams we want to secure them so they have every chance of maturing into reality. Sometimes our dreams may seem faraway or a nice idea that’s up-in-the-air, but to us they are still something special we’d like to see come true. When we have spent any time or effort working towards our goals in life, these things become even more important to us.
There is no need for our dreams to just be ‘castles in the air’ and fizzle out like they were not meant to go anywhere. If we are passionate enough about our dreams in life, then we need to put some work into achieving them. Build a firm foundation of credibility around your dreams with proper goal planning, and give them some substance where you can see its progress.
Goal setting is the process of deciding what you want to accomplish and devising a plan to achieve the result you desire. There may be one or more specific objectives involved in reaching your goal, and each will need to be accomplished within a set time period. Your goal may be personal, work/performance-related, educational, developmental, a special project, or a combination. Goal setting is an important exercise for anyone in life, not just business people. It helps to strengthen people by showing them a path to what is important and how to achieve it. Goal setting allows us to plan ahead, instead of having to just react to new situations. We shouldn’t have to leap from one crisis to another all the time.
Every goal you set needs to follow this basic goal setting formula: "I will (specific goal) by (specific actions I will follow to accomplish the goal)." You may have several specific actions you will take to achieve your goal, rather than just one.
Goal + Action = Success
This goal setting definition emphasizes that goal setting is a two part process. For effective goal setting, you need to do more than just decide what you want to do; you also have to work at accomplishing whatever goal you have set for yourself. For many people, it's the second part of the goal setting definition that's troublesome. They know what they want to do but have trouble creating a plan to get there. Goals without action plans are just words.
One way of ensuring that you have a good chance of accomplishing the goals you set is to follow the “SMART” process. S.M.A.R.T. is an acronym for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-Bound, and encourages goals to be described as accomplishments, not activities.
First, let’s break down what the S.M.A.R.T. acronym stands for.
Specific: Be quite detailed when describing your goal objectives and make sure the goal specifies what needs to be done with a timeframe for completion. Address things like the who, what, when, where, and why’s of your goal. Example: drop a dress size in 3 weeks, run the London marathon in under four hours. If using SMART for business/work purposes, then add action verbs like create, design, develop, implement, produce, etc.
Measurable: Goal objectives should include a descriptive measure that defines its quantity, cost, distance, time periods involved, or other progressive milestones. How will you know when the goal has been successfully met? Look for elements you can see the results from to measure outcomes, not activities. Example: pounds lost on your new diet or exercise regime, money saved towards a special occasion, school summer holiday period.
Achievable: Goal objectives should be realistic and actually do-able within your power and control; a goal may be a challenge but still feasible. Is the goal achievable within your own resources? (e.g. time, money, health). Do you need help with it or is the goal shared with others? Can it be reached within the timeframe originally set? Consider influences, resources, your work environment and home life to support meeting your goal. Example: take on a distance learning degree course and complete it within two years.
Relevant: Your goals should be significant in helping you reach your desired result. How does your goal help towards your objective? Develop goals that relate to what you want, and can be used within your control in order to get there. Example: join a gym closer to home so you spend less time travelling and can make best use of time for training, or take out an open membership so that you can attend classes more flexibly around your schedule.
Time-bound: Goal objectives should identify a definite target date for completion. It may also include the frequency of some steps of action that are needed for achieving the goal. Incorporate specific or significant dates, calendar milestones (birthday’s, celebrations, holidays), or timeframes that are significant in achieving another result (i.e. some goals may have knock-on effects). Example: when should we aim to have everything moved from the old house to the new one? By when should I have my new CV/resume ready to send to agencies and potential employers?
Remember the S.M.A.R.T. acronym when establishing goals and objectives. Set goals that will push you beyond what you usually think you can accomplish, and remember to set a deadline because a goal without a deadline is simply a dream. Attach a realistic yet challenging deadline for accomplishment and post this where you can review it regularly.
Put your SMART goals in writing. This simple act helps you clarify your goals and will allow you to visualize them more effectively. We recommend that you record each goal on a separate index card and review them twice a day - once in the morning (when you first wake up) and again before you go to bed. This process reinforces your SMART goals, acts as a reminder and drives your goals deep into your subconscious. In fact, this is one of the most powerful goal setting techniques you can use to achieve your targets.
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