SMART Strategy

SMART Strategy

By Erica Pratiwi Akbar

I have been in class XII now, and the first thing I have to do is to think of one thing in my mind. You know, what has been thought in my mind should become my Goal.

I have to set my goal as Tony Robbins wrote Setting goals is the first step in turning the invisible into the visible.

Well, I have my goal now, but how to realize my goal?

I can answer the above question by making an analysis and put my analysis in a strategy, named SMART.

I think, you will think that smart has a synonym. The synonym of smart is CLEVER, yet my SMART here is an acronym which stands for Specific – Measurable – Attainable – Realistic – Timely

Specific           :

Specific:  I know a specific goal has a much greater chance of being accomplished than a general one. To set a specific goal I must answer the six “W” questions below:

*Who:      Who is involved?

My beloved family especially my mother and my two young sisters are involved in goal. My mother will work hard and my two little sister will help me in their own ways. The next parties who can support me are my teachers and my fellow students friends. We will be always together in learning and learning for one purpose, to achieve our own specific goals

*What:     What do I want to accomplish?

I would love to become a talented presenter. Becoming a presenter has become a dream of my life and this kind of dream shows me many beautiful things in it.  Those beautiful things are my future as Anna Eleanor Roosevelt ever said “future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.

*Where:    Identify a location.

My goal will lead me to work in a Television station

*When:     Establish a time frame.

I am firmly sure I will reach my goal after accomplishing my study in university

*Which:    Identify requirements and constraints.

I have to empower myself by learning specific knowledge of communication, relationship, public speaking, and some other related knowledge and skill. I believe I will have good specific capability and capacity to do my job

*Why:      Specific reasons, purpose or benefits of accomplishing the goal.

I will work for a Station of Television. Here I plan to create many good programs like educated realty show that functions to encourage and to motivate many people.

The specific goal teaches me to be focus as Jack Canfield wrote Successful people maintain a positive focus in life no matter what is going on around them. They stay focused on their past successes rather than their past failures, and on the next action steps they need to take to get them closer to the fulfillment of their goals rather than all the other distractions that life presents to them.

Measurable – I will establish concrete criteria for measuring progress toward the attainment of each goal I set. This help me to stay on track, reach my target dates, and experience the exhilaration of achievement that spurs me on to continued effort required to reach my goal.

To determine if my goal is measurable, I can ask questions such as……

How much money should my mother spend for my further learning?

How many years am I going to accomplish my study in university?

How will I know when my goal is accomplished?

Orison Swett Marden wrote Success is not measured by what you accomplish, but by the opposition you have encountered, and the courage with which you have maintained the struggle against overwhelming odds. while Booker T. Washington said “Success is not measured by the position one has reached in life, rather by the obstacles one overcomes while trying to succeed”

 

This means I may not be satisfied with what I have got but I should learn and learn to build my self as it was written “But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith,………” ( Jude 1:20)

Attainable – I identify my goal of becoming presenter is most important to me, so I begin to figure out ways I can make them come true.

I should learn to sharp my intelligence, to develop the attitudes, abilities, skills, and financial capacity to reach them. I begin seeing previously overlooked opportunities to bring myself closer to the achievement of your goals.

For reference I will take Ecclesiastes 10:10 If the axe is blunt, and one doesn't sharpen the edge, then he must use more strength; but skill brings success.

Realistic- To be realistic,

My goal must represent an objective toward which I am both willing and able to work. My goal can be both high and realistic; I am the only one who can decide just how high my goal should be. But I must be sure that every goal represents substantial progress.

I am not afraid to set a high goal for I am sure it is frequently easier to reach than a low one because a low goal exerts low motivational force. You know that some of the hardest jobs I ever accomplished actually seem easy simply because they were a labor of love. Yes I have passion and I love what I am doing.

Bo Jackson wrote Set your goals high, and don't stop till you get there.

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Timely – I am not going to waste all my time to chase the wind. My should be grounded within a time frame. With no time frame tied to it there’s no sense of urgency.

By setting the time, I learn if my goal is probably realistic and so I  truly believe that it can be accomplished.