Message from the Editor

Achieving your goals

The first step to achieving your goals is to visualize them. Without this important step, you have the tendency to lose sight of what it is you’re trying to accomplish. Think about what obstacles could prevent you from attaining the end result and then you can be better prepared for avoiding these possibilities before they even happen. You may have a hard time coming up with every possibility but this can be a useful step as you stumble upon them. It can be challenging and difficult to really excel in goal setting and achievement, which is why some techniques can work better than others. Goals do not have the mentality of set it and forget it, but a process that can require a lot of attention. Sometimes we don’t meet the goals we set, which is why they need to be clear and well defined.

One technique that I’m familiar with is called the SMART technique. Within this acronym, each letter stands for a word that can assist in both setting and achieving a goal. The first letter S, stands for specific. This is fairly self-explanatory but it also needs to be direct and simple. A task is something that we all do, not a lot of risk or challenge is required. This is not the same as a goal and it’s important to know the difference. A goal requires more of us from a deeper place, it requires more effort and compliance. The second letter M, stands for measurable. For example, setting a goal to simply be happy is not specific enough, nor is it measurable. When you set goals, be very specific and not so dreamy or unrealistic. The third letter A, stands for achievable or attainable. You want to set goals that are challenging but not so much that they will be out of reach. This itself can compromise the result and lead to an undesirable outcome of setting yourself up for failure. The fourth letter R, stands for risk. This is what makes a goal different than a task. This makes the goal challenging, outside of your box. Emotions will tell you if you are being risky. Tasks don’t incorporate emotions. The last letter T, stands for time limit. There must a time constraint involved, otherwise the goal does not exist. Goals can be set up as short term or long term depending on the steps involved in achieving them.

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Setting and accomplishing goals produces a life of growth and achievement. Where does the drive come from and how do we make it easier? The goal has to be part of something bigger. A dream is bigger than a goal. When you’re clear on your dream and you set goals and they line up, they will be achieved. That’s where the drive comes from to move forward.

Thank you, Laura Teifel editor@rla.org