The year is slowing down and coming to a close, and I want us to take time to look back on all that you have done and truly celebrate how far you have come! First off, how often do you take time to review what you have done in your practice and celebrate the wins? Today is the day!
Write out Your Goals
By now, I am sure each and everyone one of you is experts at writing out your goals. And your goal writing is top notch. It’s ok if you have not been super constant with writing them all the time, because we are going to look at how to write a SMART goal. When you hit the SMART goal we will celebrate even more.
SMART Goals stand for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-bound.
- Specific- think about the who, what when, and where of this goal. Think about exactly what you are trying to accomplish and don’t be afraid to get very detailed.
- Measurable -What metrics are you going to use to determine if you meet the goal? It can be time, a certain number of things, frequency- any sort of metric. This makes a goal more tangible because it provides a way to measure progress.
- Attainable- Your goal also needs to be realistic and attainable to be successful. It should stretch your abilities but still remain possible.
- Relevant - This step is about ensuring that your goal matters to you. A relevant goal can answer “yes” to these questions:
- Does this seem worthwhile?
- Is this the right time?
- Does this match my other efforts/needs?
- Time-bound - What is your target date, so that you have a deadline to focus on. This part helps to prevent everyday tasks from taking priority over your longer-term goals.
Review Monthly
Now that you have your monthly and yearly SMART goals written out, I want you looking at them all the time. When I say all the time, I mean daily! In your daily routine, I want you to pull out these SMART goals and read them. The reason for the daily review is to keep you focused and to continue to allow for you to stay in the present mindset.
Keeping your goals in front of you daily allows you to have the daily intention of what will bring you closer to achieving them. It also helps you to know what brings you further from them. For example, if my goal is to see 30 clients a week and I am only seeing 15 on average and not working on my marketing and just hoping clients show up. Now that is just bananas! Reviewing your goals daily helps you to see where you are honest and will help you to evaluate what you are doing to get there.
Celebrate Your Wins
Put on your party dress and grab the noisemakers! When you achieve a SMART goal celebrate!!!! It is a big deal! This is probably one of the hardest things for me to do. When I achieve my goals I will check that box and then make a new box and keep working. Over time it builds up a no fun attitude which is not good at all. If I can stop to give myself a high five and celebrate you can too.
I also love the idea of setting up a reward for yourself when you achieve a goal. That can be small to something huge- you pick! This helps too on your daily check-in around your goals to keep you focused on that reward you set up!
Action Items:
- Write out your SMART goals for next year
- Plan into your daily routine when you will read the SMART goals
- Know how you will celebrate when you achieve your goals