How Can You Tell If A Goal Is Achievable And Realistic?

Like many people, I set New Year's resolutions. I'm a longtime runner, and this year, I challenged myself to hit a certain speed goal on the treadmill by March 31. In some ways, it was the perfect goal. It was specific (finish an 18-minute progressive speed workout I had clipped from Oxygen magazine). It was measurable (see the 18 minute part—and the treadmill doesn't lie on speed). It was time-bound (March 31!). Those are the S, M, and T of the SMART acronym people often suggest for goal setting. It was the other two letters that gave me pause: Was it Achievable (A) and Realistic (one of the commonly cited Rs)? It's a tricky question, with ramifications for how people set their own goals, and how organizations set goals for employees as well. Safe Versus delusional On one end of the spectrum, some goals are in what Michael Hyatt, co-author of Living Forward: A Proven Plan to Stop Drifting and Get the Life You Want, calls the delusional zone. "That would be me deciding I want to play in the NBA," he says, or me trying to hit a Paula Radcliffe mile time. Those are just demoralizing. On the other hand, easy goals do little for you, either. "There has to be some element that you might not achieve it. Otherwise it's not compelling," he says. Where he advocates hanging out is the "discomfort zone." Goals set there involve "some fear, some uncertainty, some doubt." You have to think through the process for achieving your goal, because it won't be automatic. You have to be... Continue reading at 'Fast Company'

[ Fast Company | 2016-04-12 00:00:00 UTC ]

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