“If you want to be successful, put your effort into controlling the sail, not the wind” –Anonymous

We all set goals for ourselves. Just listen in on personal conversations between individuals or teams in the workplace and you will find a multitude of ambitious goal setting. But how do we most effectively go from setting goals to achieving our goals? The answer may be found in how we set goals. Although sometimes boring and tedious, the detail of goal setting is the key to the end result. Practice setting a SMART personal or business goal with the following in mind:

Specific- What is to be accomplished, what will it look like, who will be involved?

Measurable- How will you know it has been achieved? How will you measure it?

Achievability- Is the goal attainable? How do you know? Who has control over it? What do you need to do to find out?

Ready- Are you prepared to achieve this goal? What resources do you need? Is the goal relevant to the overall picture?

Time- What amount of time have you given yourself to achieve this goal? When does it need to be completed? What milestones or checkpoints are in place to assure the progress? Who will monitor the progress?