Two weeks ago I was speaking to a sales organization in Houston, Texas. My topic that day was goal achievement and the fact that we can all be, do and have anything we desire in this wonderful life we live.

After my talk had concluded, one of the sales reps came up to me and thanked me for my talk and informed me that his goal for 2009 was to earn 1 million dollars.

I told him “that’s great,” and asked him how much he was currently worth and how much he currently made?

Now I have never been one to squelch another’s dreams, but when he told me he was deeply in debt, and that he only earned $72,000.00 in 2008, I had to tell him I seriously doubted he would achieve this lofty goal and that he should consider making his goal for 2009 a little smarter.

Unfortunately, he left rather upset at me and appalled that I did not encourage him more. I wish he had stuck around for a moment so that I could have explained to him that in order to achieve any goal; it must include all five elements that make the goal SMART.

The five elements that make it a SMART goal are;

S – Specific
M – Measurable
A – Attainable
R – Realistic
T – Timeable

The S is for SPECIFIC. Your goals must be specific and clearly defined. There is a big difference in earning more money and earning $85,000.00 by December 31, 2009. There’s a big difference between a new car and a new 2009 black Mercedes E350 with grey interior. I think you get the picture. You must be able to clearly describe your goal on paper in a way that even a child would know what it is you desire. Remember this, vague goals produce vague results, while specific goals produce specific results.

M for MEASURABLE. You must be able to measure the progress you are making towards the achievement of your goal on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis. In life, nothing is static. Just like a plant, you are either growing or you’re dying. You’re either moving towards the achievement of your goal or your moving further away from it. Create a sound plan and implement benchmarks along the way and measure your progress daily.

A is for ATTAINABLE. I love the quote, “if you fail to plan you plan to fail.” With a sound plan, showing where you are and where you are going with all the action steps to follow, you know the goal is attainable and that will keep you motivated.

R is for REALISTIC. Your goal must be realistic before you can have the motivation to move you into action. You must believe with all your heart you can do it.

With the sales rep that came up to talk with, he had never even saved $10,000.00 before. What makes him believe he could really save one million in one year? Possibly in ten years he could do it, if he created all the necessary habits and really became focused and disciplined.

Finally, the T is for TIMEABLE. It’s said that a goal is simply a dream with a deadline. You must establish timelines for beginning, benchmarks along the way, and a deadline for completion. Timelines create a sense of urgency and prevents procrastination. Timelines are what turns your daily activity into directed action. You must establish timelines for all your goals.

So there you have it, the formula for SMART goals. Take the time today to evaluate all your goals for 2009 and ask yourself the question, does this goal incorporate all the elements to ensure I can and will achieve this goal? Increase your odds of success exponentially by making them SMART. 

Until next time, I’m Jim Driscoll,
“The man on Fire for Your Success”

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