How to Set Simple, Direct, and Exciting Goals

A year from now you may wish you had started today. ­– Karen Lamb

I have been thinking through complex goal setting teachings and considering how to make goal setting simple to understand and follow through. An idea came to my mind consistent with the “S.M.A.R.T” (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Time bound) principle. In this we have four quadrants with labels:

	UNREALISTIC	REALISTIC
POORLY DEFINED	Quadrant A	Quadrant B
CLEARLY DEFINED	Quadrant C	Quadrant D

Quadrant A: Poorly defined and Unrealistic

Quadrant B: Poorly defined but Realistic

Quadrant C: Clearly defined but Unrealistic

Quadrant D: Clearly defined and Realistic

Of all these you only want to find your goals in Quadrant D. It is the only quadrant that provides your mind with the impetus to pursue and achieve your goals, not only because it believes it can, but also because it clearly understands what needs to be done.

Here is an example of all the quadrants with an akara seller that had just attended a seminar on goal setting and wants to get right into it. This is how her goals may look like and the quadrants they will fall into:

·  I will be a millionaire: this is a Quadrant A goal. It is poorly defined and unrealistic putting into view her present profession. She will not achieve this goal. This type of goal isn’t beyond wishing and has the least hope of coming to pass.

·  I will become a millionaire in ten years’ time: this is a Quadrant B goal. Everybody knows that you can start wherever you may be and become a millionaire in a decade but what she failed to do it tell us how this will happen in a decade. It is poorly defined so she will abandon it,

·    I will expand my business and make sufficient profits to become a millionaire this year: this is a Quadrant C goal. Clearly defined but unrealistic. Although the picture of how it may be achieved is clear, the profits from her present profession will take her decades of unfailing savings to hit N1,000,000.00. This goal will not happen.

·     I will become a millionaire in ten years by first expanding my business, saving a percentage of my profits and investing in wholesale and distribution of grains: this is a Quadrant D goal. With planning, focus and discipline she stands a good chance of earning her first million before the decade runs out.

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Examine each goal you have and sincerely allocate its right quadrant. Having done this, is it still a goal or merely something you wish you could achieve?