Have you ever wondered why some people not only achieve their goals like you do, but they seem to “super achieve”?

Then read on! Having evolved our SMART acronym, your goals must also be: (Stretching, Meaningful, Attractive, Respectable & Tantalizing). Don’t think i have a way with words, let me explain.

The great goals you set for yourself must Stretch you. Goals that are very easy to achieve are not inspiring. A stretch goal must be one that causes you to feel that you have what it takes, causes you to feel that it’s possible, if you gave a little bit more, tried a little harder or did a little bit more.

Next, your goal must be Meaningful (it shouldn’t be all about you; super achievers are concerned about the impact of their goals on others; it must have the power to inspire others to commit to the goal).

Your goal must also be Attractive (your goal must give others the opportunity to use their strength, talents or skill to accomplish something great).

Next, your goal must be Respectable (it must earn the respect of others by the significance of its impact) and finally, your goal must be Tantalizing (it’s got to make your mouth water, the thought of accomplishing it must be inspiring).

But wait a second; what we’ve dealt with so far is what your goal must be. It’s imperative to know what your goal will require!
Still running with our SMART acronym, your goals must require Strategy, Milestones, Action, Resources & a Team. Any goal without strategy is dead!

Strategy deals with the “how to” of your goal.
Next you’ve got to break it into Milestones (small, easy to achieve steps that help you feel like a winner e.g. join a gym, jog once a week).
Next, take Action! No one gets a prize for what they intend to do, only for what they get done. Intention never gets rewarded, only action does. So get to work!
Next, you must identify the Resources necessary to achieve your great goals. Resources include time (what you don’t give time to will die), talents (your skill set and ability), thoughts (the ability to focus on your goal. Focus is the ability to limit your distractions to one thing).

Finally, you must have a Team or a support group of people who complete or complement you, but don’t compete with you. Don’t just get people you can work with, get people you can’t do without! In order to this, your team must be able to find themselves, their dreams, passions and fulfillment in your goal. Even God said in the beginning; “Let US make man….” He couldn’t do it alone. We all need someone.

Before 2009 runs to an end, I recommend that you set multi-faceted LIFESTYLE goals along the 7 dimensions of life e.g. (physical, emotional, relational, societal, professional, financial and spiritual) e.g. Physical goals could be to jog 4 days a week, walk every Sunday; your emotional goals could be to read at least 3 books a month or listen to that inspirational CD/DVD you bought at the store 3 weeks ago; but haven’t gotten round to listening to yet.

Also, set professional goals for your career (people who set promotion goals always outperform those that have no career goals).
Your relational goals could be to invest in more friendships, spend more time with your loved ones or call your parents more.
Your societal goals could be to sponsor 3 children who should be in school, but can’t afford their fees. Set savings and investment goals for your finances while your spiritual goals could be to pray an hour a day (if not at a stretch, but 15minutess after you wake, 15 minutes driving to work, read a chapter of the Scriptures a day etc).
I hope these few secrets will prove invaluable to you as you use them as guideline in setting goals for yourself, family and the company you work with.

I can’t wait to celebrate your success with you.