How to choose a goal and formulate it correctly
When you realize what you want, don't stop, dig even deeper. Is this your goal? Is this what you want? Maybe your mother wants this, the environment or other other people’s voices are imposing theirs?
Are you sure you really want this? Choosing and correctly setting a goal is half the battle and the basis for a successful outcome. Let's look at the criteria for correctness.
Specificity
It is not enough to set the goal “apartment”. It is necessary to describe the nuances in as much detail as possible, otherwise discrepancies are possible. An apartment seems to have appeared, there is a place to live, but it is not yours, you cannot dispose of it as you please. This apartment is the wrong size, in the wrong city, it’s not an apartment, but a room in a communal apartment. Has the goal been achieved? Yes. Is this what you wanted? No.
Wrong target: apartment.
The right goal: a three-room apartment without encumbrances in the center of Moscow in my ownership.
Measurability
Let's say your goal is to become a popular blogger. Thanks to social networks, there is a simple and concrete sign of popularity - a large number of subscribers. If you find it difficult to determine this figure for yourself, look at how many subscribers the person you consider popular has, and use this number as a guide.
Wrong goal: I want to be popular.
The right goal: 5,000 Facebook followers.
Reachability
As one boss said, ask the impossible, you will get the maximum. Set yourself ambitious goals, desire in your heart to jump above your head, believe in yourself, and then land and take into account objective reality. There is no point in setting yourself the goal of growing a third arm.
Wrong goal: I want people not to get cancer.
The right goal: employment with a cancer organization.
Significance
Ask yourself the question “Why?” Repeat until you come to an answer like “This will make me happy,” “I will feel fulfilled,” “I will be fulfilled as...”. Ultimately, most human desires come down to these simple things. Therefore, it is not recommended to set a goal of a certain amount of money. Money is not a goal, it is a means to achieve something that will bring joy, benefit, and happiness.
Wrong goal: I want a lot of money to buy a yacht.
Correct target: yacht.
Deadlines
The deadline is a necessary parameter to achieve the goal. Without buoys, the sea of time seems endless, but suddenly life passes. An approaching deadline stimulates acceleration, increased productivity, and helps to correlate current progress with the remaining time.
Wrong goal: I want to learn how to draw.
The right goal: by March 1 of next year, obtain a certificate in drawing courses.
Sign of goal achievement
By what sign will we understand that the goal of “getting married” has been achieved? An official document will appear confirming this - a marriage certificate. I’ll say a seditious thought, but in achieving a goal we move rather not towards the goal itself, but towards a sign of its achievement. Without a sign of achievement, the goal ceases to be specific. It's not enough to want your own car. The car becomes mine the moment my name is entered into the vehicle passport.
Wrong sign: Dodge car.
Correct sign: Title certificate for a Dodge car.
Alternative options for decoding SMART
During the existence of the system, it was refined: SMART goal criteria were added and existing ones were deciphered in a new way.
Here are examples of modified models:
— SMARTER — additional criteria: evaluated (evaluated) and revised (reviewed). Here they clarified that a SMART goal is a goal that can be assessed for adequacy, achievability, etc. The “Revisable” criterion means that as external and internal factors change, the goal can and should be reviewed and adjusted. For example, during an economic crisis, when changing performers, suppliers, etc.
— SMARTER — additional criteria: environmentally friendly (ecological) and recorded (recorder). An environmentally friendly goal means that the changes that its implementation will entail will be safe for the company and employees. Recorded goal - recorded on paper or electronic media.
— SMARTTA — additional criteria: trackable and consistent with other goals (agreed). There is nothing new here, we just emphasized that goal fulfillment needs to be monitored, and that we set only goals that are consistent with other company goals.
All known decryption options that occur in practice:
S is not only specific, but also significant, stretchable, simple.
M is not only measurable, but also motivating, meaningful, manageable.
A is not only achievable, attainable, but also agreed upon, acceptable, appropriate, actionable, action-oriented, ambitious, aligned with corporate goals.
R is not only relevant, but also realistic, result oriented, resourced, reasonable.
T is not only time-bound, but also timed, trackable, testable, timely.
Tools for achieving goals
Countdown
List the key steps in order from last to first. The question “What is needed to..?” will help with this. Determine the approximate deadlines for each stage so that you can check the plan later.
Example
Goal: October 2021 - housewarming in my own house, which I will build.
- What do you need to celebrate a housewarming in the house that I will build? Interior finishing (September 2021).
- What is needed for interior decoration to appear? Bring up communications (May 2021).
- What is needed to carry out communications? Cover the roof (April 2018).
- What does it take to cover a roof? Build walls (March 2018).
- Lay the foundation (September 2021).
- Select a construction contractor (June 2021).
- Order a project (April 2021).
- Find an architect (tomorrow).
So we come to the first step: write a post on social networks tomorrow and ask to recommend an architect.
Action every day
Take at least one action every day to achieve your goal. Even if you only have enough energy for one microtask, let it be done: decide on the color of the curtains, call the architect and discuss the date of the meeting.
Creating an Environment
Fill the air. Subscribe to thematic resources, meet and communicate with experts and experienced people, read, watch. This contributes to the accumulation of knowledge and helps not to forget about the goal.
It is ideal if loved ones support, encourage, and help. Specialists and experienced people can also provide moral support, not limited to just expertise.
Self-tuning
A method for those who do not deny that thought is material. Put yourself in the image you want. This could be a visualization of the goal: someone draws a goal, someone makes collages from their photographs and photographs of the goal. Someone practices the principle “Live as if you have achieved it”, models and cultivates the feeling that you have what you want.
We love you
This advertisement is based on the memories of an elderly man riding in a subway car:
First, 1945, still the same metro. Everyone is happy, the melody of the victorious song “From Moscow to Brest” is heard. A young military man on crutches rides with a girl, smiling and laughing. The hero of the video wrote “I love you 1945” on the car window.
It’s already 1968, still a subway car. A little girl sits and cries next to the man. He puts the doll on his hand and tries to cheer up the girl.
And soon 1995. He still peers into the darkness of the tunnel. And on the window appears an inscription written by him from the past: “I love you 1945,” where he corrects the year to 1995.
What to do if the goal is achieved or not achieved
Regardless of the result, analyze it. What hindered you in achieving your goal, what helped? What inspired you, what provoked procrastination? What should you consider or improve next time?
Analysis and adjustment:
- The goal was not achieved within the desired period. Review the deadlines and adjust them in accordance with the input data.
- The goal is irrelevant. Perhaps interests, values, or life situation have changed. Adjust the goal or abandon it.
- The goal is relevant, but priorities have changed. Life has made adjustments to plans; other issues require attention. Review the goal and timeline.
Don’t regret, don’t criticize yourself, analyze, look for cause-and-effect relationships, draw conclusions. Accept a situation that cannot be changed. It will be easier if you give your all along the way and enjoy the process. Even if things didn't work out, at least you had a great time. What's next on the list?
FAQ
What is the SMART method? SMART is a method that allows you to formulate a specific and measurable goal at the goal-setting stage, determine the necessary resources and the time frame for its achievement.
What is a SMART goal? A SMART goal is a realistic, specific and measurable goal with a deadline that is consistent with the company's strategy.
What criteria should a SMART goal have? A SMART goal must meet 5 criteria:
S - Specific - specificity; M - Measurable - measurability; A - Achievable - achievability; R - Relevant - significance; T —Time bound—limited time.
Test your knowledge
If you want to test your knowledge on the topic of this lesson, you can take a short test consisting of several questions. For each question, only 1 option can be correct. After you select one of the options, the system automatically moves on to the next question. The points you receive are affected by the correctness of your answers and the time spent on completion. Please note that the questions are different each time and the options are mixed.
Statistics Full screen
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I love
Everything happens at a concert of the DDT group. Yuri Shevchuk sings the song “Far, Far Away.” Among the spectators in the hall are a deaf-mute girl and a guy. They watch the concert carefully, holding hands. The following is a dialogue in sign language:
- Do you like it?
- Yes very. The song is so beautiful.
-Can you see well? Sit on my shoulders.
- Are you uncomfortable...
- I love you.
- But I don’t have you... I love you very, very, very much!
For some reason, tears always began to flow at this moment. It's too touching.
God bless you
This commercial is not difficult to recognize, because it is from here that the phrase “You are a fool, and your husband is a fool, even though he is dead, and your brother-in-law is a fool, and your goat is a fool, a damn psychopath.”
Advertising about traditional women's quarrels. Two Russian women are repairing the railway. First they yell, verbally throw mud at each other from head to toe. And then, as if nothing had happened, they sit in an embrace, cry and sing “A Cossack was traveling through a foreign land.”
Another quote can still be heard from many lips, but not everyone knows where it comes from: “Are you crazy, or what?”
Examples of successful description of objectives in a resume
Here is a good example for those who are at the stage of changing activities.
An experienced and accomplished political campaign manager with 10 years of experience, he is looking to apply his extensive experience in crisis management, department leadership, and media relations to his entry-level HR Assistant position at Google.
The good thing about this example is that it meets all the requirements mentioned above. He's specific. We know exactly who this person is (a former campaign manager), which company he is submitting his resume to, why he is beneficial to the company (experience) and what benefits he will bring to it (in the past he was involved in crisis management, department management and media relations). And most importantly, the text is short and informative.
In just a few words, this man was able to demonstrate how skills and experience from a seemingly completely different field could be applied to the job he was trying to get. Amazing!
Here's another good example of a resume objective for someone changing career direction.
Goal: Bring your 5+ years of customer relations experience, public speaking skills, and healthcare professionalism to work as a Google PR Specialist.
And again, succinctly, precisely and to the point. The applicant emphasized his familiarity with the healthcare industry and managed to tie his skills and experience to animation!
Here is a simple goal description template for a person with little experience or a beginner.
A motivated and energetic graduate engineer is seeking an entry-level position as an Assistant Quality Assurance Manager at Google.
Not bad, not bad. Applying to the company (Google) and the job (Junior Quality Assurance Manager) allows the recruiter to understand who is in front of him (the recent graduate)... And this becomes the explanation for such an unremarkable resume!
Here is another example of describing a goal for a beginner.
Resume Objective: A hard-working graduate manager with proven leadership and organizational skills seeking to utilize his talents as a Junior Assistant to the CEO of Google.
Are you starting to get the idea? Yes? Great!
And finally, what should you do if you have extensive experience and want to tailor your resume to a specific position?
Resume Objective: To obtain a position as an online English as a Second Language teacher, where I can use my knowledge, 15 years of teaching experience and innate linguistic abilities to provide clients with high-quality language training.
Class. What is called “bullseye”! Everything a good resume objective should have is here! Direct, targeted, targeted and brief!
We will succeed
I think everyone remembers the video with the legendary dialogue:
— Shall we clean it before it rains?
- No, we won’t remove it at all. We won’t remove it, although it may well be that we will. I think we'll remove it.
Combine operators worked at night and tried their best to harvest the new crop before the approaching thunderstorm arrived. A famous dialogue took place between a driver who came to pick up grain and one of the combine operators, who subsequently gave the driver a hare, which he almost crushed under a wheel, and offered to give it to his daughter.
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It all ends with the driver, returning, looking at the photo of his daughter, at the hare obediently sitting next to him and saying affirmatively: “No, we’ll remove it.”
There is also a second part of this advertisement, released in 1996. Almost the same people are present in it. The men sat near the grain dryer and thought about what to do. They saw snowmobiles approaching and joyfully ran towards them.
The next shot they are already driving a ZIL car, which soon got stuck with its nose in a snowdrift. One of the men climbed onto a snowdrift to ask people on snowmobiles to help them pull him out.
This is my country
Two astronauts slowly fly over the Earth while on the Mir space station. At this time they play “city”:
- Moscow;
— Moscow has already been... Samara;
- So it’s in “C”;
- Yes, we’re flying over Samara, see?
And it was at this moment that the well-known phrase sounded from the mouth of the senior cosmonaut: “The most beautiful girls are in Samara.” The second cosmonaut did not agree with this and said that the most beautiful ones were in Novgorod.
Another view of the Earth from space. They are trying to contact the crew via radio from Earth:
- First! First! This is "Earth". Can you hear me? Why was the connection disconnected? Welcome!
- This is the first one. We're fine. Let's start work.
Home is best
The capsule landed in Kazakhstan, narrowly missing horses and a yurt. An old Kazakh with a gun goes to check what happened. Through the capsule window he saw the astronauts.
Next, the action takes place in a yurt. Guests sit near the fire with food. The astronauts were asked the question: “Have they been to the Moon?” Their answer was negative. Then the Kazakh began a story about his disastrous trip to the regional center, as a result of which, due to a storm, he had to return home without getting there. Next dialogue:
- Home is best?
- Home is always better.
At that moment, a search expedition in helicopters found the landed capsule.
