RESOLUTION REVOLUTION: SET SMART GOALS FOR 1989

(c)1988, David Humes

It's time to evaluate your performance in 1988. Did you accomplish all you set out to accomplish? If you did, maybe you need to stretch yourself in 1989 by setting higher goals. If you didn't, maybe you're trying to do too much, too fast.

Set SMART goals. That is, Specific, Motivating, Agreed upon, Realistic and Trackable.

Your body and your mind actually has a measurable magnetic force. You get what you think about most. That's why it's very important that when you set a particular goal, you be as Specific as possible. The more specific your goal is, the more your subconscious can assist you in "magnetically pulling" into your awareness the situations necessary for the attainment of that goal. It actually will help you recognize opportunities that would other wise go unnoticed.

In order for your goal to be Motivating, it must be big. Generally, the bigger the goal, the more motivating it is. If you want to be one of the greatest guitar players in the world, you will be much more motivated than if you just wanted to be able to play a few tunes well on the guitar. Being able to play a few tunes well on the guitar might motivate a beginner for a while, and it's a good goal to have for a beginner. But if that's your only goal, you'll stop growing as a guitar player once you've reached that goal. At the other extreme, having the goal to be one of the greatest guitar players in the world will keep you motivated for a long time.

Your goal must also be Agreed upon. Set a goal that you want to reach, not what someone else would like you to reach. But if you choose to accept a goal that someone else made for you, you'll need to fully agree upon it before it will empower you to reach it. Only you can agree to your goal. Your belief, desire and actions must all be congruent.

Setting high goals for motivation is great, but they should also be Realistic. In order to convince your subconscious mind that your goal possible, it must be something you believe can be done. If someone else has done it, then you know it can be done. Now it's just a matter of finding out exactly how they achieved the success you desire and do that until you achieve your goal.

Based on your currant competency level, set smaller benchmark goals leading up to your major goal. Your goal then becomes Trackable. Achieving the smaller successes indicates progress and helps you to stay motivated along the way. In addition, you are succeeding more often which tells your subconscious mind that you are a success!

I believe you can achieve all you desire in this world. There's greatness inside of you waiting for you to fully realize it. Use what you have! Get off to a great start in 1989: set SMART goals, and have a fantastic year!