Goal Setting

"Goals provide a sense of direction and purpose". It Is an effective tool for Personal Development and Progress. Ti helps us to understand what is expected of us and our objectives in life.The process of Goal setting allows us to specify our objective and then work towards the achievement of the objective with undivided attention.Goals keep us focused on a purpose.A Goal is a DREAM with a deadline. A Goal is different from a wish or a dream. Goals are specific in nature. Success in life depends on a well defined goal and a single minded focus on the achievement of the goal. So, Goal Setting is an art which needs serious concentration. Before we master the art of setting a goal, we need to very well understand the meaning of a goal. A mnemonic SMART is often used to describe or define goals. SMART stands for :

S: Specific
M: Measurable
A: Achievable
R: Realistic
T: Time bound

SPECIFIC
Goals should be specific in nature. For example when we say we wish to perform well in our forthcoming exams, we are speaking in general terms but when we say that we wish to secure more than 80% marks, we are very specific. Now let us think of another example, imagine we all are spectators of a football match and suddenly we decide to remove the goal post from the field. Now what happens to the match? The match becomes an useless effort without a GOAL POST and finally comes to an end. A specific and well defined goal helps us in channelizing our energies towards the achievement of our desired goals thereby saving us from wastage of time and effort. Once a goal is clearly visible in front our eyes, we can start working upon it with 100% concentration. Another excellent legend which explains this concept is from the Indian epic "The Mahabharata". When Guru Dronacharya was teaching/training the young kauravas and pandavas on the art of archery, it so happened that a point of time, he asked his disciples to hit the bird's eye on a tree. When all of them were ready, Guru Dronacharya asked Duryodhana as to what does he see, to which Duryodhana replied that he could see the branches of the tree and the colour of the bird's feathers. Later when Guru Dronacharya asked the same question to Arjuna, he answered that he could see only the eyes of the bird because that is the specific goal. By this answer, Arjuna shows the importance of a specific goal setting and the power of single minded focus. When we focus single-mindedly on the specific goal, it becomes achievable.

MEASURABLE
We should always set measurable goals. For example, when a firm thinks of its business expansion, it always measures its investments with the expected returns as a step of calculated risk taking. Here the firm set outs measurable goals for its expansion. A goal which is not measurable will become unmanageable. "I want to read 3 plays written by Shakespeare in this month" shows the specific target to be measure. "I want to read plays written by Shakespeare" is not as measurable. Our progress towards our defined goals should be measured by us on a regular basis using concrete measurable criteria or standard. This will help us to review our performance and measure our progress towards towards our goals while keeping us on the right tract.

ACHIEVABLE
Goals which we set for ourselves should be achievable as per our capacities, abilities and surroundings. Although we may start with the best of intentions, the knowledge that its beyond our reach will be reminded to us by our subconscious will and may even stop us from even giving it our best. For example, if we aim to lose 20kgs in one week, will be an unachievable goal for anyone. But setting a goal to loose 1kg per week will be an achievable goal for anyone of us.

REALISTIC
The goal needs to be realistic for us as per our life conditions and demands. A goal of never again eating sweets, cakes, chips and chocolate may not be realistic for someone who really relishes these kind of food items.It may be more realistic to set a goal of eating a piece of fruit each day instead of one sweet item. We can consciously plan to reduce the amount of sweet products gradually.We need to set goals which can be attained with some effort rather than setting too difficult goals which later set the stage for failure.

TIME BOUND
The goals which we set should be time bound. It means it should have a deadline like the sales target. A goal without a deadline is a vague whereas a goal with a deadline is concrete. The time limits can be according to the urgency of the task to be completed, it can be 1 week, 1 month, 6 months, 1 year or even 25 years. Goals can be :
Short-term
Mid-term
Long-term
A short-term goal can have a limit of a day or even a week.
A short-term goal may may a limit of 1 month to 1 year.
A long-term goal may have a limit of 5 years to 25 years.

"Many people fail in life, not for lack of ability or brains or even courage but simply because they have never organized their energies around a goal." Elbert Hubbard.