Being really S.M.A.R.T.

At this time, some of us are making New Year resolutions and setting goals for the New Year ahead – great, go for it! The wise ‘They’ say, “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.”

One word of warning to those who have heard of, and follow, SMART Goals -

S = Specific ; M = Measurable ; A = Attainable ; R = Realistic ; T = Timely

“Specific” and “Measureable” are good ; “Attainable” and “Realistic”, and even ‘Timely’, however, are limiting - they keep you within your cage of limited possibility. Break free!

Before you start with your Goal List: Ask yourself “WHAT”- What do I want, What do I want to achieve…. ? Next, ask yourself “WHY” – Why do I want this, Why do I want to achieve that …. ?

Write down your answers, be clear as to exactly ‘WHAT’ you want (be Specific.) Defining ‘WHY’ you want something may require some deep thinking as to what is driving you. Keep asking ‘Why’ every time you have an answer, until you get to the base need that you want to fulfill. This is tied to your values and beliefs.

For example: ‘I want to earn $$$xyzK in 2014, because I want to support my family in a better lifestyle. ‘WHY?’ – Because I believe it is important to give my children a great life with lots of choices and opportunities. ‘WHY?’ – Because I want to be the best parent I can possibly be. ‘WHY?’ - ……

In this case, ‘being a good parent’ is a value and a belief that this is the proper way to love and bring up your children. Your values and beliefs reside in your subconscious mind, which is connected to Spirit and the Universe. Trust that, through the Universe, your subconscious mind will bring into reality the things you need to support and confirm your belief. Like attracts Like – the Law of Attraction, in other words.

Oh, you don’t believe that? Well, look around you, at all that you have accumulated and achieved in your life so far, including the good and the crappy stuff – wasn’t that the result of your values and beliefs, which determined your thoughts and actions, which brought about what you have?

Asking yourself “WHAT” and “WHY” tends to solidify what your goals are, and fixes your focus more on achieving them – more so than a random list of airy-fairy goals that you might scribble down.

However – DO NOT think about “HOW” and “WHEN”.

Being specific about how you will achieve your goals could severely limit you, as will your self-imposed time restrictions as to when you will achieve them.

Let the Universe determine the “HOW” and the “WHEN” – your intuition will guide you and you will see opportunities arise that you might not have seen had you not been perfectly clear as to your desires.

This is being really S.M.A.R.T.

Best wishes for a Happy and Prosperous New Year!