5 Guidelines for Setting Smart Goals

“Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it. For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry. (Habakkuk 2:2-3).

Write the Vision and Make it Plain

Simply saying, “I want to…” is not enough.  There’s something about writing your goals out oppose to having pleasant thoughts about them.  The bible says, “write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it” (Habakkuk 2:2).

What are your goals?  What is it you want to do? What do you want to accomplish?  When do you want to accomplish it?  Write it out.  Here are 5 guidelines to help you make smart goals for yourself.

1. Set Specific Goals.  The more specific you are in writing your goals, the better.  Ask yourself these questions:   Who is involved?  What active part do I play in accomplishing my goal(s)?  Where is the location?  When am I starting and finishing this goal?  Why am I doing it?  How am I going to do it?  (Note: Your goals may not require answers to all six questions).  Here’s an example of setting a specific goal:  Instead of saying, “I want to spend time God”.  Say, “to spend time with God, I will set aside the first 30 minutes of my day to read and mediate on the word of God.”
2. Set Measurable Goals.  How measureable are your goals?  Does your goal(s) allow you to track its progress?  Are you able to see how close you are towards accomplishing your goals?  Set goals that you’re able to track.  While tracking, it’s a good idea to include specific dates and times.  Doing so will encourage you to keep working hard towards fully accomplishing your goals.
3. Set Attainable Goals.  How reasonable are your goals?  Is it something you know you’re able to accomplish?  It’s important to set goals that aren’t farfetched and unrealistic.
4. Set Realistic Goals. Setting a realistic goal is something that’s attainable (reasonable; do-able); something that your able and willing to accomplish.  The example of giving God the first 30 minutes of my day is a realistic goal.  It’s not too difficult and it’s do-able.
5. Set Timely Goals. Give yourself a time frame to complete your goals.  In all 3 examples provided, I gave a time frame of 30 minutes each morning to get closer to the Lord.  A timely goal would be saying, “each morning from 7:30am to 8:00am I will spend time meditating and reading the word of God.”  Depending on what your goals are, a reasonable time frame may be minutes, hours, days, a week, a month, 6 month, a year or even several years.  Give yourself a reasonable time frame to accomplish your goals.  Stick to it and don’t procrastinate.

Put Your Goals into Categories

I encourage you to put your goals into categories.  Sorting your goals eliminates clutter and the elimination of clutter helps alot.  Example of categorizing goals:

Spiritual Goals:

1. Spend time with the Lord by reading the Bible each morning before starting my day.
2. Find a new scripture about Gods love for me every day.  Study it and meditate on it.
3. Find a church home within 6 months.

Financial Goals:

1. Put $50 each month into savings account.
2. Put $100 each month towards my niece college fund.
3. Get a promotion at work within 12 months. I want to have a monthly increase of $300.

Personal Goals:

1. Go to the movie theaters two times a month with my family.
2. Enroll into NYU for the fall semester by June.
3. Move into my first apartment in Manhattan, New York within 5 months.

And so on….For each goal you have, place it into its appropriate category.  I personally find it helpful to do this.

Finial Words about Setting Smart Goals for Yourself

Don’t allow yourself to let goals linger in your head where they can easily be forgotten; write them out.  God tells us in His word that we should write our vision and make it plain.  I’ve personally witness the power of writing out goals and asking God for favor in accomplishing them.

Prior to writing your goals, I encourage you to pray and ask the Lord for direction on what to set goals for.  Keep in mind that your goals should be in alignment to Gods will.  Pray and seek God’s guidance.

Remember to reward yourself for the small and big steps taken towards accomplishing your goals.  Although this is a “duh” moment, I personally believe many people give up on their goals because they look at how far they have to go oppose to how far they’ve come.

Write smart goals, stay motivated and be blessed in Jesus name.

Receive spiritual words of encouragement and daily devotions for Christian everyday living by RSS feed or via email. Thanks for visiting and God bless you :)

Related posts:

1. Setting Goals for Yourself

Tagged as: goals