New year, new you! Or, is it a new year and same old you?
During the last couple of years, in my speeches, you may have heard me speak poorly of SMART goals; something that many people are taught as a goal setting method. If you haven’t heard of this method or need a refresher SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Timely.
I think SMART works for task and to-do lists. I however strongly disagree with this method for goal setting. I actually tend to get a little riled up when talking about it. If you want to take your life to the next level, make a massive change in your career or educational path, start a family, travel somewhere STUpendous you can not use this method.
Why?
It’s thinking small and within your current knowledge, experiences, and vision. I believe that every single big thing, in your life or in world, was not considered realistic or attainable at the time. When Steve Jobs thought of the iPod and suggested putting 1,000 songs in a persons pocket he was ridiculed as being to “out there”. Now we can access hundreds of thousands of songs at our finger tips.
Consider this quote by one of my mentors Robin Sharma:
“Change is hard at the beginning, messy in the middle and gorgeous at the end.”
2018 is the year you make change! Be creative, think BIG and set your goal line deep. I believe in you! But, while that may be nice, it’s also irrelevant. You have to believe in yourself!
How?
Take 30 minutes — Not only do you owe it to yourself to find the time, you deserve it. Find a blank paper or page in your journal and write a list in 3 columns:
Read the questions below and under each heading, list any and all things that come to mind regardless of anyone might say or feel. Forget for a moment where you are now and look at where you want to go?
- What do you want to BE (job, role, degree, title, etc)?
- What do you want to DO (travel, read, learn, create, etc)?
- What do you want to HAVE (possessions, earnings, property, surroundings, etc)?
Next
Review your list and pick the thing(s) that both scare and excite you. Here are 3 of mine:
- I remember clear as day saying “I want to start YLCC Summer Camp". I also recall the questions and comments I received about how unprepared I was. It was true. In hindsight, I was completely oblivious to the journey I was about to undertake!
- When I said I would more than double the size of the Ontario Student Leadership Conference from 900 to 2,200 I was laughed at by many. One colleague said I was going to be bankrupt in less than a year.
- Today, exactly 3 months from the start of the Global Student Leadership Summit (GSLS),I am being questioned again, even by myself.
Camp is about to enter it's 26th year. OSLC will celebrate it's 40th year with over 2,200 student in November. Can GSLS bring together thousands of leaders from across Canada and around the world? Yes it can! Can we pull together 60 world-class presenters to work with these youth and educators in April 2018. Yes! We can and we will.
Sometimes the goals you set aren’t always achieved or they have to be re-adjusted but that doesn’t mean you don’t set them.
Get SMARTER
Instead of SMART goals use the method I do; it’s called SMARTER goals!
Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Risky, Time-keyed, Exciting, and Relevant
The big changes here is Actionable, meaning do something to start the goal! Make the call, tell your friends, buy the website URL, pick a date. Do something now!
Risky is my favourite part, a BIG goal is something that should be a bit scary! Be nervous about it. Do you think that
Terry Fox wasn’t told a hundred times his dream of running across Canada on an artificial leg wasn’t RISKY??
Which leads to my third favourite part — Exciting. You should get that feeling in your gut that this is GOOD! Really good! You should say HELL YAH when you think about your goal(s).
So go now and set your goals!
Email me if you want to tell me all about them. I will coach you!! Let’s make 2018 the best year yet. Let’s LEAD TOGETHER!
In leadership and gratitude,
