Do You Have Goals or Do You Have Dreams?

Many people think that goals and dreams are synonymous, that the words can be used interchangeably to discuss how we see our future. However, they really are two very different concepts. Dreams are not based in reality, they are imaginary and they are fantasy. On the other hand, goals are about strategy, they are about planning, and they are about taking appropriate action based in reality.

In an earlier blog post, I explored how to create effective goals using the SMART goal setting system. I would like to use this same system to evaluate whether you are chasing dreams or working toward achieving goals.

SPECIFIC AND MEASURABLE - "Goals are dreams with deadlines." Diana Scharf Hunt
Goals answer the who, what, why, where, and when questions. Dreams don't have to have an ending, but goals must have a finish line or an ending. By nature, goals must have a specific outcome. Having a deadline or and ending in sight for your goal will give you that sense of urgency to take action.

Dream: I want to be rich and have all the money I ever need for retirement when I am older.

Goal: By the time I am 50, I want to have $1.5 million dollars in the bank. I will accomplish this by obtaining my Juris Doctorate degree and becoming a lawyer that earns $150,000 or more by the time I am 28. I will save a minimum of 30% of my salary every year and will invest my money so that it will continue to grow.

ADAPTABLE - "When it is obvious that the goals cannot be reached, don't adjust the goals, adjust the action steps." Confucius
It has been said that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing but expecting different results. It is imperative that you build milestones into your goal's plan. You must be able to stop along the way, evaluate your efforts and progress, and identify what is and is not working. Use this constant analysis to keep yourself on track for achieving your goals.

In our earlier example, by the time you are 35 your life situation may have changed (marriage, divorce, children, etc.) that may make saving 30% unrealistic. Also, you may have tried some investments that caused you to lose money. Constantly evaluate your progress and determine whether or not you need to adjust your approach.

REALISTIC - "I always like to look on the optimistic side of life, but I am realistic enough to know that life is a complex matter." Walt Disney
Remember, the goal must be something that can be achieved within the time constraints you have established. Never forget that goals require hard work, effort, and even struggle. However dreams are so easy, you can even do it in your sleep! However, no matter how hard you are willing to work, don't set yourself up for failure by creating an unrealistic goal for yourself.

Unrealistic Dream: I want to lose 30 pound by the end of this week. 

Realistic Goal: Within 6 weeks, I am going to lose 14 pounds and 2% body fat. 

TRACKABLE - "We all have dreams. But in order to make dreams come into reality, it takes an awful lot of determination, dedication, self-discipline, and effort." Jesse Owens

To keep yourself on the right road to success, you must have a system of checks and balances to which you can hold yourself accountable. Keep track of your milestones along the way to achieving your goals. These mini success stories will not only keep you on the right path, they will keep you motivated toward the "end game."

Gauge your excitement to accomplish goals: last in a series

S.M.A.R.T. goals are bound to fail unless they are created from a positive, resonant place (as I covered in my first post) and options are created from that place (as noted in my second post). Now that you have brainstormed a list of options, you can move on to the final component of making your S.M.A.R.T. goals truly work...

Step three - gauge your excitement around your options

When you explored your options in step two, anything was on the table: you had license to brainstorm the most wild, vibrant options available to you. You didn't judge what you wrote and you didn't hold back. But it's natural that - even from the resonant options you created - there are some options that would work better than others. This is where the "1 to 10" scale comes in.

Pick three options from your list that meet the following criteria:

• One that would elicit a "quick win" (to build momentum)
• One that would elicit a "wow, I can't believe I did that!" (for a greater thrill)
• One that would elicit a "ugh, it's doable...but it's going to be tough" (to celebrate your resilience)

Once you have your three, gauge each of them on a scale between 1 and 10, with 1 being "there is no possible way I would ever do this" and 10 being "there is no possible way I will not do this."

If you are at a 8 or below for any of options, reconsider it. Adjust it in some way, or pick a new one. When you are an 8 or higher, that's a strong indication that you will follow through. 

Now that you have your three options that are an 8 or above, build in to each one:

1. When you will do it by?
2. How will we know it is done?

You can set up an accountability with a friend, post something on your Facebook profile, whatever. But set the accountability!

The S.M.A.R.T. framework is a valuable framework with which to frame your goals, but creating them with resonance and excitement will make your goals all the more likely to be accomplished.

Assignment: walk through Step Three above and, in the comments section, create an accountability for all the Daily Leap readers to see!

Exploring options to accomplish goals; second in a series

When it comes to formulating goals, the S.M.A.R.T method is a succinct and logical way of creating them. But as I covered in my last post, there's more to a goal than making it S.M.A.R.T: there has to be positive, resonant energy around it. 

Again, creating a S.M.A.R.T. goal around eating a food you hate will not make you more likely to eat it. So before you create your S.M.A.R.T. goal, you need to do some energy work around it, which is why I recommend to clients that they spend time visualizing that ideal future state. Describe it in detail: who and what is around you? How does your body feel? Is it sunny? What's the temperature like? 

Once you spend some important time feeling it, it's time to get to the nitty-gritty of the goal: the details. 

Step two - explore options

There is more than one way to skin a cat, and there is more than one way to accomplish a goal. However, when we approach goal setting we tend to be limited by our Rules (yes, capital 'R') which I define as our mental models on how we think things ought to be.

I can only apply for a new job if I have a perfect resume is a rule.

My network is not big enough is a rule.

I am not smart enough to go back to school is another rule.

However, after spending time in a resonant place (step one) your rules melt away. You are now in a place to truly explore possibilities. 

So do it, and do it boldly.

What are the different ways you can go about accomplishing this objective? What actions and possibilities are available to you? Brainstorm them and write them down. There is only two rules for this endeavor: no judging the possibilities and no holding back.

Once the possibilities are out there - generated from a place of resonance - it's on to the third step...

Assignment: get back into your resonant place and feel it. From there - and only from there - start brainstorming options to accomplish the objective you want to overcome. Enroll a friend if that would help you be more productive.

Why your SMART goals fail (and what to do about it); one in a series

The act of setting goals is an important, well-researched practice to achieve personal and professional success. The experts say if you want to make something happen in your life, set a goal around it, particularly a S.M.A.R.T. goal. 

So why is it that you still fail to accomplish a goal, even after you have set one? Because no matter how specific and measurable you make your goal and despite how realistically achievable, rooted in reality and timely it is, there is still a high likelihood that you will fail to live up to the expectation you set for yourself.

We often fail to achieve our goals because we are setting goals that we are not that in to. We may think that we want to take some classes or advance in our current jobs or take a leap toward a new career. We may even set concrete goals around these notions. But if there is no resonance, no excitement around them, we will fail. Every time.

Think of a food you hate: what goal could you set to make you like that food? Or think of a household task you despise: what goal would motivate you to do it? Do you now see why it's so difficult to write you resume, go to a networking event, create a business plan, or conduct an informational interview?

Goals are only part of the answer; resonance is the other part. In this series, we'll explore way to build and work with this resonance.

Step one - visualize the future state:

Think about your goal, and then life a month after you have accomplished it. 

For example, if you were to leave your job for one that is more appealing to you, what would your world be like? How excited would you feel? What would be available to you that isn't available to you right now? 

By spending time in this "place" you are visualizing you future, a powerful way of creating resonance and making goals stick. When you visualize, you cultivate a positive, prosperous point-of-view. You dwell in the outcome of your goal and the magnificent change you have created for yourself. When you visualize, the goal not only seem possible but you can't wait to accomplish it. 

Get the image in your head and spend time in it. Hear the sounds, smell the smells...feel it.

Assignment: write you goal on a piece of paper. Then, look at it, close your eyes, and imagine what it would be like to accomplish it. Explore the positive changes to your being: the way you behave, the depth of your relationships, the way you spend your time, how you are "being" while you are doing. What does it feel like to you now? Comment on this below.

The Top 3 Reasons New Year’s Resolutions Fail and What You Can do about it

Happy New Year! Chances are, if you set a New Year’s resolution, you are now on day 3 of your resolution. I hope things are going well. Let’s examine the second reason that New Year’s resolutions often fail. In last week’s post, we discussed how people often lack the motivation they need. The second reason resolutions fail is due to a lack of clarity and lack of planning.

Reason #2 – Your resolution lacks clarity, focus, and realistic expectations

By nature, resolutions are often very vague and represent huge changes. According to a 2007 FranklinCovey survey, some of the most common resolutions are I am going to lose weight, I am going to exercise more, and I am going to get out of debt. These vague, grandiose goals are not only overwhelming, they can make coming up with an action plan an extremely difficult process.

The solution:

The best solution for this issue is to ensure you are setting S.M.A.R.T. goals. This is an acronym for setting goals that are specific, measurable, attainable, reaching and timely. When we have a plan and a strategy for how we will achieve our goals, they become much more manageable and therefore more easily attained. Let’s re-examine one of our vague goals from earlier – I am going to get out of debt.

The first step is to examine why you want to achieve this goal so you can find your motivation. Next, you apply the S.M.A.R.T. principles to the goal and it transforms into the following; I would like to pay off $6,000 in credit card debt by the end of 2012. I will reduce my monthly expenditures by $500 by lowering my cable bill, cutting out going out to eat every weekend and taking my lunch 4 days a week.

By creating a plan, you can break the goal into bite-sized chunks that enable you to monitor and measure your progress along the way. The specifics of the goal and the step-by-step planning will make your resolution seem less daunting and therefore more realistically attainable.

5 Steps for S.M.A.R.T. Goal Setting to Achieve Success

There are many reasons to set goals: they provide a target, they concentrate and focus efforts, they provide motivation and inspire persistence, and they establish a road map to get from where you are to where you want to be. It has been proven that a person with an important enough why can bear most any what or how. Writing down your goals in the S.M.A.R.T. style will help you focus and become more productive. S.M.A.R.T. goals are:

Specific
Generic goals are much less effective than specific goals. Specific goals ensure efforts are focused and clarified. Specific goals answer who is involved, what will be accomplished, when will the goal be accomplished, why is the goal important, and how will it be achieved?

A generic goal is “I need a new job that pays more money.” However, a specific goal is “Within the next three months, I want to obtain employment in the education field utilizing my degree and I want to earn at least $40,000 per year.”

Measurable
If your goal has no measurement, how will you recognize success? Measurable goals answer how much, how many, and how often? Build steps into written goals to keep yourself on track and motivated with small successes. Measurable, tangible achievements will inspire you to keep going toward your ultimate goal.

Attainable
To be attainable, a goal must be realistic. If you want to lose thirty pounds by next week or become a doctor in 6 weeks, yet you have not started medical school, you are setting yourself up for failure with unrealistic expectations. You must believe you can achieve a goal to become willing to do the work it will take. Attainable goals do not mean easy goals; they just have to be doable with realistic daily efforts.

Reaching
A goal should stretch your abilities. Often, a high goal seems easier to achieve because the level of motivation is much greater than a goal that does not challenge you. If a goal motivates you and is important to you, you will find ways to develop the skills, attitude, and abilities to make it happen.

Timely
Creating a deadline causes a sense of urgency and establishes commitment in your mind. “Someday” is not a time frame, it is simply an excuse for procrastination. Without a timeframe there is no motivation to start taking action.