Improving the S.M.A.R.T. Goal Acronym

This video clip about SMART goals is from a goal setting presentation I gave to the Job and Career Program at the Russell Library in Middletown, CT.

The SMART goal system is a great way to define and clarify your goals – but I believe that the traditional definition of SMART goals may actually be holding you back and keeping you from achieving your big goals and dreams. But by making a simple change, you can improve your chances of success.

If you want to change your life for the better, you have to take away all limits to your success. Don’t limit yourself by insisting that your goals be realistic. Where would the world be if everyone stuck to ‘realistic’ goals?

Stretch yourself!

How to Motivate Yourself

Do you know how to motivate yourself? Or does your motivation waver depending upon what is going on around you?

Learning how to motivate yourself is an essential skill you must master if you are serious about making changes in your life. I get asked all the time, “How do I motivate myself?”

The biggest problem most people have when it comes to getting and staying motivated is that life gets in the way of their dreams. Has that ever happened to you? Have you ever gotten up in the morning and felt fired up about your goals and dreams, only to have that fire dampened by the events of your day?

It happens because you switched your perspective. You allowed something else to take center stage in your mind. You allowed the daily drama of your life to override your priorities and as a result (read more…)

Reaching your goals on time

Reaching your goals on time is probably important to you. I know it is for me. You want something and you want it by a certain time. (Usually right now! or at least pretty fast!) You don’t want to wait and wait to reach your goals, but that is exactly what happens when you fail to follow one of the guiding principles of goal setting.

You see, there are two schools of thought when it comes to goal setting and manifesting your desires. On one side are the advocates of an inner approach to goal setting – these methods are usually all about aligning with your desires and then waiting for them to manifest or show up in your life. On the other side are the external methods of goal setting – a more straight forward approach that involves linear thinking and taking specific action steps to produce specific results.

Both methods work, but neither method works for everyone all the time.

Why is this? What does work all the time? Well, I’m sure you won’t be surprised when I tell you that the only true way to ensure your success at reaching your goals is (read more…)

Your ultimate life begins with goal setting!

Are you a goal setter or a goal achiever? Do you reach your goals in life quickly and easily? Or do you struggle when you try to make changes in your life?

Creating changes in your life – especially big ones – can be challenging. When struggle occurs, when it feels like nothing you do is working and your goals seem out of reach, it is easy to find something or someone to blame for the way things are going.

But if you really want to create change in your life, if you really want to achieve your goals, (especially those big ones!), then you must do two things.

First, you have to stop playing the blame game and decide to take control of your life.

And second, you must get good at setting goals. One of the basic principles of success in life is that you have to know exactly what you want in order to get it. Do you know exactly what you want?

It isn’t enough to have a vague notion about what you want, it isn’t enough to wish or hope that things will get better or that your luck will change. To live your best life, you have to (read more…)

Setting a timeline to achieve your goals - a simple way to supercharge your efforts!

Creating a Timeline to Complete Your Goals
Have you set a timeline to complete your goals? If you have been struggling to reach your goals you might find it helpful to develop a timeline that charts exactly when you will complete each step along the path to your goal.

Creating a timeline for completing your goals is a powerful way to keep your focus on what is important right now – and it is not as hard as you might think! Follow the steps I share below and you too can develop a bullet-proof plan to reach your goals.

Too many people resist setting time-based goals because they feel that life should simply flow and that everything happens in it’s own time and at it’s own pace. But the reality is (read more…)