Goal setting has become an important part of our lives as part of the New Thought and Life Coaching agendas. It is said within these arenas that the process is important; if you’re wanting to achieve the life you want, however just as important is being able to set goals. Merely just thinking about what you want and writing it down in a ‘to do list’ or a wish list isn’t enough.

If you are new to goal setting then a small amount of learning is necessary to add to your current skill set. Skills, not only in setting goals but also how to commit to those goals. You have to be careful you don’t fall into the trap of working with poorly set or unrealistic goals that serve no purpose at all. I’ve worked, as a life coach, with clients who complain that their previous goal setting hasn’t worked, even though the goal they’ve set is what they’ve always wanted. There’s a bit more to it than that! Goals aren’t achieve through pure desire, it helps, but more is needed.

So where do you start? A great place is to take a closer look at one or two goal setting tools. These tools are used extensively, not only by life coaches and their clients but also training departments in corporate HR departments. These tools involve the use of acronyms to help you with the process, however I think it’s worth pointing out at this stage that it isn’t ‘a must do’ to use these acronyms to accomplish your goals. They are only a guide or an aid to help you; I’m sure there are some people who never use them and still achieve great goals. So bear that in mind and use them as necessary; give them a chance if you think they’ll help you.

GROW

The GROW acronym; which stands for GOAL, REALITY, OPTIONS and WAY FORWARD is a very popular tool used by life coaches, as they help their clients work towards and achieve their goals.

1. The ‘GOAL’ is the starting point of the model. When setting a goal it is important to look further than just identifying something you want to achieve. Ensuring you set a clear and specific goal is the first of four important steps. As you identify your goal give consideration to the 3Ps; Personal, Present and Positive. Make your goal personal, write in the present tense and make it positive.  Also write the goal with you in mind; use the personal pronoun ‘I’, such as ‘I will . . .’ Keep it in the present tense, such as ‘I will . . .’ rather than ‘I want to’. . . Finally write it as something you want rather than something you don’t want. For instance; ‘I want . . .’ rather than ‘I don’t want . . .’
2. The ‘REALITY’ considers what has been done so far. After you have set your goal and made it as clear and specific as you can; consider what you have done or completed, so far, towards your outcome. Give consideration to everything you have done; no matter how small or seemingly insignificant.
3. The ‘OPTIONS’ considers the opportunities available to you; that are serious contenders to help you achieve your goal. After you have given full consideration to your reality; ensuring you have identified all events and happenings supporting your goal, the next step is to consider your options. This isn’t necessarily what you are going do to take you forward to achieve your goal; it’s a list of considerations to help you accomplish your eventual outcome.
4. The ‘W’ stands for the WAY FORWARD; of the options you have identified, how are you going to move forward with each one of them, that’s if they are all viable options. Also consider the commitment you can apply to each one; on a scale of 1 to 10. If your commitment is less than 8, return to the goal setting process; identify your obstacles and ways to clear them away.

SMART

The SMART acronym; which stands for SPECIFIC, MEASURABLE, ACHIEVABLE, REALISTIC and TIME-BOUND, is another very popular goal setting tool, both in and out of coaching circles. Although there are a few slight variations with the meanings of the letters; I feel this doesn’t detract from the usefulness of the model.

1. The ‘SPECIFIC’ considers the detail of the goal; is it clear and well defined?
2. The ‘MEASURABLE’ considers how the goal is being measured; how will you know when you’ve achieved it, how will you measure your progress?
3. The ‘ACHIEVABLE’ considers how the goal will be achieved; what needs doing, what are the steps, what order are they?
4. The ‘REALISTIC’ considers how real is achieving the goal with the available resources.
5. The ‘TIME-BOUND’ considers the time factors for achieving the goal; when will work start, when will it finish, will there be any expected interruptions? Has enough time been allowed for achievement of the goal and all the tasks within it? Too much time will affect performances and too little time will affect achievement of the goal.

SAFE

The SAFE acronym; which stands for SEE, ACCEPT, FEEL IT and EXPRESS IT, is less popular, however it is still very useful in helping people achieve their goals.

1. The ‘SEE’ considers being able to see your goal; through visualisation or seeing in your imagination as being achieved.
2. The ‘ACCEPT’ considers being able to accept your goal as being achieved.
3. The ‘FEEL’ considers being able to feel it with emotion; when applied with the previous step, ACCEPT, this step becomes very powerful which is important towards you accomplishing your goal.
4. The ‘EXPRESS’ considers being able to express your goal as being achieved; your behaviour should be as though the goal has been accomplished. Talk about it as though you have been successful.

PURE

The PURE acronym; which stands for POSITIVELY, UNDERSTOOD, RELEVANT and ETHICAL, again is less popular, however it is still very useful in helping people achieve their goals.

1. The ‘POSITIVELY’ considers positively stating the goal; in the form of ‘I want . . . rather than ‘I don’t want . . .
2. The ‘UNDERSTOOD’ considers the understanding of the goal and what is required. Do you really understand what is required to achieve your goal?
3. The ‘RELEVANT’ considers the relevance of the goal and how it fits into the overall or bigger picture. Does your goal really connect with you; is it relevant to your life?
4. The ‘ETHICAL’ considers the ethical aspects of the goal and how it affects others. Is your goal set with honesty and integrity? Does it reach high standards and have morals?

CLEAR

The CLEAR acronym; which stands for CHALLENGING, LEGAL, ENVIRONMENT, APPROPRIATE and RECORDED, again is less popular, however it is still very useful in helping people achieve their goals.

1. The ‘CHALLENGING’ considers how challenging the goal is; if it doesn’t challenging you enough there is every chance it will not be achieved. Also if it is too challenging the effect will be the same. Does your goal fill you with excitement?
2. The ‘LEGAL’ considers the legal aspects of the goal and whether or not it is breaking any laws.
3. The ‘ENVIRONMENT’ considers whether or not the goal is environmentally sound. Does your goal fit in with all aspects of your life; are you in rapport with it, make sure you check for conflicts.
4. The ‘APPROPRIATE’ considers whether or not the goal is appropriate for what it is trying to achieve. If it’s not appropriate; check why it for conflicts.
5. The ‘RECORDED’ considers whether or not the details of the goal and achievement of it are appropriately recorded. There is no set format for this, select or design you own, this will help the process.

Any one of the above models will help you achieve your goals; by all means try them all to see which one works best for you. They’ll all contribute towards your self development. If you feel a little lost by any of the above models, if your budget allows, you may wish the seek the assistance of a life coach. Alternatively, you can also wish to training as a life coach; again this will benefit your personal development training. One of the more popular trainers of life coaches is the Coaching Academy.

Thank you for reading this post, please let me know what you think and share your experiences. While you’re here please take the time to sign up for the newsletter or alternatively you may prefer to subscribe for regular update in your favourite reader or by email.

photo credit: lululemon athletica

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Tags: CLEAR, Goal setting, GROW, Life Coach, Life Coaching, Personal Development, personal development training, PURE, SAFE, self development, SMART, Technorati, The Coaching Academy

This entry was posted on 20 December 2009 at 9:47 pm. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Posted in Coaching by Paul Worswick View Comments