Money-Magnets.Net

Written by Karen Leslie

Wednesday, 16 July 2008 19:00

When I joined my first mastermind group about six years ago it came as a surprise to them that I had never had a goal. That was absolutely true too. Think of me as a leaf in the wind, blowing wherever the wind took me. At that time in my life having no goals suited me since I had no clear destination in mind. It wasn’t until I realised that I could be around for a lot longer and wouldn’t be able to enjoy my life as I got older if I didn’t consider my financial situation. People that I knew had big plans for retiring somewhere on the beach in the sun. However as I read more personal development I came to the conclusion that although that sounded few people actually have a plan to achieve that, and so it doesn’t usually happen.

So in my first mastermind group I had to set goals. Now I’ve found that the best way to set goals is to think about your final outcome and work backwards. If you haven’t heard of SMART goals and there are several variations on the this theme but for me the acronym stands for:

Specific

Measurable

Attainable

Relevant

Timely

Specific: This answers questions such as “Who”, “What”, “Where”, “Which” “When” and “Why”. Why can be the most motivational part since that cam keep you going when you really don’t what to.

Measurable: This answers questions such “How will I know when I’ve reached my goal?” You need to be able to establish your progress because if you can’t measure it then you can’t manage it.

Attainable: You want something that will make you stretch but not make you feel that it’s impossible. There can always be smaller goals that you can celebrate along the way to attaining bigger goals.

Relevant: Is your goal moving you towards your purpose in life? Make sure that they are in line with your purpose and mission - if they are not you will find that they will be quickly forgotten about.

Timely: You need a time frame to create some sense of urgency and motivation. You don’t want to work on the “some day” principle because most people find that “some day” never comes.

Goals can cover every area of your life and certainly not just work and financial and when you write them make sure to cover all areas.

Goals are written down. If a goal isn’t written down then it’s just a dream. They are stated in the present tense rather than the future tense so “I am” rather than “I will”.

They are also positive rather than negative. So rather than stating “I don’t drink fizzy drinks anymore” you can say “I enjoy drinking water”.

Once you have your end goal or long term goal then you can work backwards and fill in the plan. Don’t be surprised if opportunities open up that move you towards your end goal, and you can make adjustments as necessary along the way.

Once you’ve written down your goals have them around the house so that you can read them at least once a day. I find that having them by the bathroom mirror is great since I read them while cleaning my teeth in the morning and that helps me focus in the rest of the day.

As well as reading your goals you’ll need to review them on a regular basis to make sure that you are moving towards them rather than away from them. How often you review them depends on the time scales that you have set for the goal.

So take some time out to set your goals in all areas of your life, and then to plan backwards so that you work out what you can start doing now.