Being specific about your desired outcome is important whether you are setting the objectives for a marketing campaign or deciding what car you want to drive next year.
Without this clarity, you lack direction, it is hard to make decisions and the results end up being average at best.
On the other hand, clear objectives provide the basis for great results. So the ability to set good goals could be worth a fortune to you and your business. And it's a remarkably easy process if you follow these simple steps.
Step 1 - Decide Where You Want To Go: Do you want to be like a light bulb, which disperses energy all over the place, or a laser, which focuses the same amount of energy on one spot and can achieve very powerful results?
Chances are you will achieve better results by having the focus of a laser.
Truth is most people don't even bother with goals and objectives. But many of those who do make the mistake of using very vague statements that are rich in good intentions. Something like: 'I want to make twice as much money this year'.
For a goal or objective to be useful, it has to follow the SMART formula.
Specific makes it more likely to happen. Measurable so that you'll know when you achieve it. As if now - in the present tense. Realistic in that you believe it is going to happen. Timed with a specific date when they will be achieved.
An example of a SMART goal would be 'It is December 31 2006 and I am holding in my hand a bank statement that shows that I have earned $200,000 from my business this year (after all expenses).'
Step 2: Decide on the First Step and Take Action: Often the most important step towards a goal is the first one. For many people, this can be the most difficult issue - because they want to get everything right.
But in these early stages, don't overanalyze - just get the ideas out and then start refining them. Mike Litman, success coach and author of 'Conversations with Millionaires' puts it very bluntly: 'You don't have to get it right, you just have to get it going.'
In taking action, you are training your mind and your body to get used to successes.
Step 3: Get Feedback: Once you've started moving towards your goal, commit yourself to monitoring how other people are responding to what you are doing. If it appears you are not getting the result you want, something needs to change.
Step 4: Celebrate Success: Without a clear sense of direction at the beginning, you will never know what success looks like. And, of course, until you take the first step, there is nothing for people to give you feedback on so that you can build.
If you follow this simple process, you are guaranteed to develop good goals and objectives. So there is a much higher chance of you achieving the success that you want.
