Goals are excellent aims for us to have.  They can guide us toward our future, toward changes that we want to make, and toward accomplishments we seek to achieve.  But setting goals can also set us up for defeat if they are too lofty.  Ideally, goals should be “smart” goals.  What is meant by that?

S = Specific

M = Measurable

A = Achievable

R = Reasonable

T = Time-limited

For example, someone could have a goal such as “I want to pay off my $2,000 worth of credit card debt.”  But without a reasonable plan, that might seem daunting and frustrating on a daily basis to think about the $2,000 debt that you want to eliminate, especially if you think you need the entire $2,000 all at once and don’t avoid accruing more debt.  However, a “smart” goal might be something like, “I will review my budget and identify where I can save $125 each month to put toward paying off my credit card debt, and I will cut up my credit cards so I can’t use them.  If all goes well, I should be able to pay off the credit card debt within 2 years, even taking into account the interest.”  This goal is very SMART, of identifying $125/month to shave from expenses and put toward the credit card debt each month for a maximum of 2 years.

When you set goals for yourself, use the acronym above to guide you toward setting goals that are SMART; and have fun reaping the rewards!