How Better Goal-Setting Can Change Your Life and Success

by Ellen Ettinger, Founder & Director, Motherhood Association

“A goal without a plan is just a wish,” Antoine de Saint-Exupery told us. But, you can bridge the gap from ideas and wishes, to reality, with detailed goals that are directed towards success.

How do you move from an idea or a wish to a goal? An idea can be a general thought about something you’d like to do. For example, you may want to lose weight or start a new business, save money, or even start a blog. These are general thoughts and wishes. Since there is no plan, no dates to accomplish anything, and no specific details, these plans may get lost in the business of everyday ‘motherhood’ and never get done! There are so many priorities in life, and so many needs, that without detailed plans, a roadmap or any timeframes, these ideas can fall through the cracks.

With so many items on our “to-do” list as mothers, it is challenging – but exciting - to bring our ideas to fruition and success. How can we build a pathway from “Dreams” to “Done” – and enjoy that deep feeling and sense of accomplishment without the fear of failure and falling flat on our faces? Here’s how.

Write Down Your Goals

Writing your goal down helps you to commit, visualize and plan your reality.

Andrew Farrelly reminds us, “While a dream may be the roof of the building, goals are the steps and landings of the stairwell.” The goals can provide the blueprint and path to reach the rooftop - your dream destination. If you don’t plan and climb the steps along the way, how are you going to get to the roof?

Writing your goals is a first step early in the process. What else can you do to accelerate your path to achievement?

Make Your Goals SMART

Writing down your goals is very helpful and applying the SMART format to goals is even better. SMART goals help us to connect with our goals on a deeper level in a way that makes them more achievable.

Here’s how we make our goals SMART, by making them: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-bound.

Consider two goals:

Goal A: I plan to lose weight.

Goal B: I plan to lose 30 lbs in 6 months - from 150 lbs to 120 lbs.

Which goal is more likely to lead to success? Let’s assess the two versions with the categories used for S.M.A.R.T goals:

• Specific: A specific goal has details so you know precisely what the goal entails. In Goal B, you know you plan to go from 150 lbs to 120 lbs by losing 30 lbs, and that you plan to do it within 6 months. In Goal A, we don’t know how much weight you want to lose, and when you want to lose it. So, how will we be able to determine if you succeed?

• Measurable: You need to be able to track your progress towards achieving your goal by making it measurable. In this way, you can determine whether you succeed, or not. In Goal A, if you lose 5 pounds did you succeed? We don’t really understand the intent and plan in Goal A. But, In Goal B, the goal is measurable and very clear, making the path easy to assess along the way, and at the end of 6 months.

• Attainable: Your goal should be something that can be realistically attained. For instance, Goal B is a plan to lose 30 pounds within 6 months, which seems attainable for a person. If the goal were to lose 30 pounds in 1 week, it’s highly unlikely to be attainable. In addition, Goal A has no details on how much weight should be lost, so we can’t tell if the goal is achieved, or not.

• Relevant: Both Goal A and B clearly state that you plan to lose weight. However, Goal B provides a greater explanation of the relevance with the specific details of what is planned. In Goal B, both the aim to lose pounds, and the timeframe are relevant, realistic, and applicable. Goal A lacks both of these.

• Time-bound: Goal B gives a specific timeframe within which you plan to accomplish the goal. Goal A does not give any timeframe, so you can lose track of whether you are moving ahead, you can lose attention in working toward your goal, and lose motivation without a sense of time-commitment. Goal A type of goals usually tend to fall through the cracks because there is no time priority and these goals can easily be set aside. The time commitment in Goal B is a driver for success.

The classifications of SMART goals can be applied to all types of goals. Many mothers like to build on-line businesses because it gives them flexibility to make their own hours, and the opportunity to be their own boss. If you want to build, or scale an on-line business, remember to include these SMART categories. Instead of using a Goal A-type system like “I want to start an on-line business”, your goals should be more Goal B-centered like, “I want to start an on-line business to sell jewelry that I make, with an inventory of 30 pieces of my jewelry, and sell 4 pieces within 6 months.”

Be Accountable

It’s very helpful to have an accountability partner, someone you know with whom you can share your goal, and with whom you can check with regularly over time to report how you are doing. Tell your partner what you plan to accomplish, and when you plan to complete various steps along the way.

Knowing that there is someone to report to, who can help keep you on track and motivate you, is like fuel in your engine. You can also serve as an accountability buddy to help your partner follow the path and goals he/she is following to accomplish his/her goals. Accountability partners can help each other stay on track, and provide support, motivation – and often an enjoyable way of moving forward, together.

If you can’t find anyone to help you be accountable, be accountable to yourself and keep track of your progress in a journal or notebook. Set regular time intervals (e.g., weekly, monthly, quarterly) in which you examine what you have accomplished so far along your planned path, and what you need to do to move forward. Checking in on a regular basis provides feedback if you ever veer off your path, so you can identify the best corrective steps to help you to stay on track.

Celebrate Your “Small” Wins and Your “Big” Win at the End

When you reach “small” milestones on the way to your endpoint, don’t forget to celebrate and honor yourself for your work. Play some music, dance, read a book, call a friend – or whatever brings joy and helps you applaud your diligence.

When you reach your “big” goal, that’s a special time to share your accomplishments with friends and family who you want to know, and to allow yourself a bigger celebration. But remember, this is also the time to plan your next steps to make sure that you sustain and maintain your hard work. If you have lost weight, this is the time to make sure you maintain good habits into the future so you don’t undo all your good work. If you succeed in building a new business according to your goals, this is the time to stay updated with your business plan, with new goals, to move into the future.

A dream is a dream, but goals can build the road to success, so start building!

Remember:

1. Write down your goals.

2. Make your goals SMART.

3. Be accountable.

4. Celebrate “small” wins and your “big” win in the end!

Estee Lauder said, “I never dreamed about success. I worked for it,” emphasizing that success involves work, and more than a dream.

With clear goals and dedicated work, you can have the blueprint for achievement. Discover how these steps can help you move from ideas and wishes, to reality and success.

If you enjoyed reading about this topic, continue to check out additional information and blogs on our website. To find out about how to work with me one-on-one directly to personalize, strengthen and fast-track your results for you and your family (or have me speak at an event, organization or business meeting) schedule a free phone consult with me, or e-mail here if you prefer.

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