SMART Girls guide to setting SMART Goals

My momma always says work SMART not hard. When we create SMART Goals we do just that, we set ourselves up for successful outcomes by creating a specific goal to reach.

I learned about the smart goal acronym from John Lee Dumas of Entrepreneur On Fire Podcast. I’m sure i had heard it long before he said it but the way he delivered it resonated with me. This is not a new concept and maybe you’ve heard it before but I hope by me sharing in my own way you take it in and implement it in your business strategy moving forward.

This is not a new concept and maybe you’ve heard it before but I hope by me sharing in my own way you take it in and implement it in your business strategy moving forward.

Specific Goals

This first step is to have one specific goal to attain, focusing all of our energy into one area will make us ten times more effective in our outcomes by consistently pounding on one area of our mission.

Imagine it like a light bulb and a laser. they both will give light, but a concentrated beam of the laser light can cut through steel. We want our goals to be laser-focused on one specific idea.

We want our goals to be laser-focused on one specific idea.

Measurable Goals

Set goals that you can actually see the growth from point A to B. Instead of saying I want to grow my email list, say I want to grow my email subscribers by 100 new people.

With that simple change, you can now quantify if your goal was a success or if you missed the mark. At least this way you can clearly see the set point of your goal.

Measuring the goal will also help you determine as you go along where you may need to alter your course to get or keep the goal on track.

Actionable Goals

A smart goal that you cannot physically complete with your current time, skills, and abilities is not one that you should begin to pursue.

It must be a goal you can put boots to the ground and take action on. I like to give the example of having a goal to buy a warehouse full of expensive equipment for the business in the next 90 days.

If you don’t even have a business account set up to draw funding from, or raise the capital for this is not actionable at this time, so we need to hold this until we have the pieces in place to consider this as a goal.

Realistic Goals

Realistic and Actionable go hand in hand. Make sure when creating the goal it is something you can actually do.

Please hear me, I promise I’m not trying to be a “killer of Dreams” here. I always want you to see what’s possible and go after it with reckless abandon, but in the right time and order.

Set a smart goal that makes the best use of your current skills and resources.

You would think this is common sense, I personally can attest to having a bigger vision and expectation of myself than what I could realistically produce.

As Entrepreneurs, we are Dreamers and visionaries and sometimes we want to see it now and think we can move mountains to make it happen.

Don’t fall victim to the same mistakes I’ve made. Take your time and use what you have now the rest will come when we are ready.

Timely Goals

The last piece is the least used and most important.

You’ve probably heard and seen the popular quote a Goal without a plan is a wish/dream.

The same can be said without a set time on that goal.

If you do not give yourself a deadline to have XYZ project complete, there is a good chance it never will get done.

I wanted to start my Podcast almost a whole year to the day that I actually pulled the trigger and released the first episode.

WHY? Because I never set a date for it. I even went so far as to make my Facebook header  a Job Optional Podcast coming soon graphic. I believe it said Spring with no year.

That was my out. I never said what spring lol!

Like Queen Bey’s “put a  ring on it!” I say put a date on it!