Setting goals is not a new concept, but setting meaningful goals might be more challenging.

When setting a goal, it is important that the goal be meaningful and forces you to grow in the process. It should feel scary, but not cause you to panic.

If a goal is too easy, it will be reached, but not much is really gained.

If a goal is too big, you can end up discouraged or lose money or resources unnecessarily.

There is a tool that helps create effective and attainable goals – The S.M.A.R.T. method. Yes, it’s the SMART goal setting that you’ve probably come across before. And it’s a pretty easy to understand and effective one.

S.M.A.R.T. goals are an excellent way to set a criterion for a goal. This acronym is a great tool for setting goals that are not too hard or too easy.

S = Specific. A goal must be specific to be attainable with focused effort. Example: I want to grow my email list by 10 people per week for the next three months.

M = Measurable. A goal must be measured to review its merit. Example: Counting the number of new subscribers each week during a three-month period.

A = Attainable. A goal must be bigger than you expect possible, but not so big it is likely to fail. Example: I want to grow my email list by ten thousand people in three months.

R = Relevant. The goal must be relevant to the outcome desired. Example: I want to grow my email list for my vegan recipe blog by 10 people per week – who live a vegan lifestyle and want to learn new ways to prepare food – for a three-month period.

T = Timely. The goal must be timely for the space it occupies. Example: I want to grow my email list for my vegan recipe blog by 10 people per week who live a vegan lifestyle and want to learn new ways to prepare food throughout the holiday season from October through December.

By following the S.M.A.R.T. goal setting criterion, your goals will be focused and attainable. Once you have reached them, you can set new ones again and again – reaching higher and higher every time. Study this method. Print this acronym and keep it handy in your work space or during your strategic planning meetings, and you will be set whenever you need to create a new goal.

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