2 Types of Simple Goals You Can Easily Set for 2017

Is your 2017 off to a good start? Ushering in a new year offers new hope and the opportunity for a fresh start.

As mentioned in my previous post, the new year is often a time when people make resolutions promising to make improvements in their lives. Don’t get me wrong, resolutions are perfectly fine, but I’ve found that examining my life and setting goals works better than making promises I am unlikely to keep. Plus, this helps me guard my integrity, by doing what I say I am going to do. Character matters. But, I digress…

The key to goals is mixing it up. You want to have some basic goals along with some SMART goals. What’s a SMART goal?

Specific

Measurable

Achievable

Rewarding

Time-parameter

SMART goals are specific, measurable, achievable, rewarding and time-based. SMART is an acronym credited to the hand of George T. Doran, who published a paper in late 1981 entitled “There’s a S.M.A.R.T. Way to Write Management’s Goals and Objectives”.¹

How do you write meaningful objectives? That is, frame a statement of results to be achieved? ~ George T. Doran

How do basic goals differ from SMART goals? Basic goals are simple things you can put into practice immediately and incorporate into your daily routine.

For instance, my 3 basic goals for 2017 are:

1. be kinder and more gentle
2. listen more/talk less
3. love & laugh daily

These are three objectives that promise to be easy to do and put into daily practice (At least they should be. Ha!). These goals provide an anchor for my attitude, help me focus on being a better person, and give me a little direction intended to allow me to experience life more fully.

What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals. ~ Zig Ziglar

Remember SMART goals are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Rewarding, and Time-Based. Specific means that you need to make them as defined as possible. Measurable identifies how many or by how much. Goals need to be focused and quantifiable. Additionally, they need to be achievable. For example, I can reduce my weight by twenty pounds with minimal effort. However, becoming an Olympian is not in my future–unless they make bingeing on Netflix an Olympic event. SMART goals are rewarding. If there is no payoff, why do it? Finally, SMART goals have a time parameter in which they must be achieved or for which they are pursued. For example, I can lose 4 pounds in a month, or I can read the Bible in one year.

 

 

Here is a peek at a few of my SMART goals for 2017:

1. Memorize one new verse of Scripture per week for one year to draw closer to God and deepen my spiritual walk. The objective is to strengthen my relationship with God.
2. Walk for exercise once a day for one year to reduce stress, burn body fat, and increase stamina.
3. Go to the gym at least 2 days a week for one year to improve my overall physical condition, decrease body fat, lose weight, strengthen my core, and increase flexibility.
4. Make A’s in my classes and continue working toward completing my Master’s degree in Managerial Science. For me, this is Job #1 and my biggest priority.
5. Publish at least 1 new blog post per week on my Devotional Guy blog for one year to build my audience and increase blog following by 10 percent. My goal is to publish no less than 48 new blog posts by the end of 2017.
6. Post 1 new LinkedIn article 2x per month for one year to improve digital writing presence. My goal is to publish a minimum of 20 new LinkedIn articles in 2017.

To discover more about the history of SMART goals, check out Duncan Haughey’s post “A Brief History of SMART Goals.”

Stay focused, go after your dreams and keep moving toward your goals. ~ LL Cool J

There you have it; two simple types of goals you can easily set for 2017. Remember: Goals without actions are just empty promises that don’t serve any benefit.Set yourself up for success and make goals for 2017 that you want to accomplish, not what you think sounds good to others or may please other people.

You can do it. I believe in you.  

Best wishes and prayers for a fruitful and prosperous 2017!

~the Devotional Guy~

 

 

References:

Doran, G. T. (1981). “There’s a S.M.A.R.T. Way to Write Management’s Goals and Objectives”. Management Review, Vol. 70, Issue 11.  pp. 35-36.

Haughey, Duncan. (2014), “A Brief History of SMART Goals.” Project Smart, 2016. Retrieved from the internet on December 31, 2016.