| Lisa Vermillion is President and co-owner of Get Fit Bee Fit and Thin and Healthy Weight Management. Lisa opened Get Fit- 4 years ago in Valley Center, after receiving certifications thorough the American Council on Exercise as a Weight and Lifestyle Management Consultant and Certified Personal Trainer. In January, she Grand Opened Thin and Healthy Weight Management in the same location. Lisa not only provides weight loss programs for individuals but she also implements business wellness programs for small businesses and large corporations. Additionally, Lisa is a Certified Life Coach providing guidance for individuals in the areas of career, relationship and personal development. She is available for speaking engagements in the areas of Physical Fitness, Weight Management, or any Life Coaching area (goal setting, positive attitude, sales, etc). Lisa can be reached for questions or speaking engagements by phone (316) 755-1115 or email at mvmillion@yahoo.com |
Diet & Nutrition
2010-04-01 12:04:00
SMART goals
Question: We know strong goals are written goals. Solid goals follow the SMART plan. What does SMART stand for?
Answer: The acronym SMART stands for Smart, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Time Sensitive. S stands for Specific. Indecisiveness has no place in your goals. Faint, fuzzy, goals produce, faint, fuzzy results. Unfinished goals produce unfinished futures. When you know exactly where you want to go, you can hone in on your target with laser- like focus. When you know exactly where you are headed, you can organize your time, set your priorities, and achieve what you expect. When that picture is locked firmly in your mind and written on your paper, you begin to draw the activities and resources to you that enable you to accomplish. M stands for Measurable. You need benchmarks so you know if you need to adjust course or if you’re headed in the right direction. You can measure pounds lost, hours gained, or dollars earned or saved. Can you imagine making a cake without measuring the ingredients, (even grandma had to measure at some time to know how to eyeball it)? Your cake would probably end up an unpalatable mess, so too is a life having no clear ingredients; sticky, distasteful, or perhaps hard as a rock.
A is for Attainable. Goals must stretch you, but not so far failure is inevitable. An attainable goal is not an easy goal, not something that will happen whether you apply yourself or not, but one that with consistent effort is achievable.
R is for Realistic. This is similar to attainable. Realistic goals can become reality. For example, if you said I want to lose 150 pounds by next month, that’s not realistic. Losing 150 pounds in 15-18 months is realistic and attainable. You don’t have to know exactly how, but you must know there is a how. Caution: Be aware of those dream stealing folks who, just because they can’t see a way, will tell you your goal can’t be achieved.
T is for Time Sensitive. Every goal should have a time line attached to it. Goals can be hard work. Knowing that your goal will be accomplished in a certain amount of time, helps you see "the light at the end of the tunnel" so to speak. You work harder when the deadline nears. Imagine traveling without knowing how long it would take to reach your destination. You couldn’t plan any activities ahead of time. If your trip involves air travel or boat travel, you probably will miss the boat entirely. Goals without a time frame almost guarantee you will miss the boat of your dreams.
Set SMART goals; build upon your dreams by creating specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, time bound steps that lead to your ultimate goal. You CAN accomplish anything you desire following the SMART goal plan. Next month will discuss ways to keep yourself accountable to your goals.