Aligning SMART Goals for a Well Rounded Life

Earlier I wrote a post Aligning SMART Goals with Core Values that talked about the importance of aligning goals with core values. I used the Acronym ALIGN to describe the process of aligning the goals. I defined ALIGN using the words Assess, List, Internalize, Grade and Number.

That post included information from Shirley Fine Lee’s post  Setting Smart Goals for New Year.  Shirley defines SMART using the words Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Time based.

In my experience, those two acronyms define two out of three components in the goal setting process. The goals must be:

• Smart
• Aligned
• Well rounded

It does little good to focus totally on one key life area, or business area, and neglect the others. Imagine a body builder that focused only on upper body and neglected building the legs. That would be ridiculous.

When developing the SMART goals and going through the ALIGN process, ensure that you include all relevant areas of your life or business. You may not be able to work on all areas at once, but diversify your efforts and work on a couple at a time. That will help avoid burnout, alleviate boredom and improve chances of success.