One of the quotes that keeps coming back to me is “What gets measured gets done.” This simple mantra has held true for me both professionally and personally. I sat down the other day to look at a set of goals that I had set 5 years ago. I actually had forgotten about the document until I ran across it while cleaning out paperwork to start my new year.
It is amazing to see the power of writing down the goals and how they actually came true. Not all of mine happened, but a good chunk of them did.
Here were my goals:
- Take a family trip to Europe. Checked that one off despite having three teenage girls going in multiple directions with their activities.
- Expand our current home or find one more suitable. . . four years later, a more suitable house became available.
- Be a part of a charitable foundation that gave back into my community…done, I began serving on the board of New American Pathways three years later.
For me the quote “from lips to pencil tips” says it all. Once I write down the goal and use the SMART principles…accomplishment is not too far away. SMART goals are:
- Specific
- Measurable
- Actionable
- Realistic
- Time bound
What are your goals? Have you written them down? Can you measure them?
My challenge to you is to write down up to three goals you want to accomplish over 1, 2 or 3 years. Check on them every so often, and then 4 or 5 years later you will see the power of performance measurement.
Here’s to achieving SMART goals!
Mike