If you asked your colleagues or acquaintances for their definition of goal setting, they’d probably all have similar answers: setting your goals means picking something to which you aspire - be it personal, professional, spiritual, or other - and pursuing it until you’re satisfied.
What most people won’t include in their definition of goal setting are the specific, verifiable, and quantifiable targets that constitute the path to success. Psychologists and behavioral therapists employ a very different definition of goal setting than the layman; they recognize the value of setting S.M.A.R.T. goals. Here, “S.M.A.R.T.” is acronym that stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realist, and Time-targeted goals. A goal that meats all five of these criteria is an attainable goal indeed.
Compare, for example, two mid-level employees who both have aspirations of turning their ho-hum nine-to-five careers into high-powered executive positions. One of these work-a-day drones decides to start small...
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