Thinking S.M.A.R.T., relevantly (Really Importantly)

Relevantly

Ok you probably noticed I added a couple of words to the title of this post (with tongue ever so slightly in cheek) 'Really Importantly' - and here's why. The "R" in this acronym is typically written as "Realistic" but the problem here is that this word is hardly any different from our previous acronymic word "Attainable". After all if something is "Attainable" it must, by definition, also be "Realistic". Apart from these overlapping meanings "Realistic" is also, in my opinion, the "shakiest" of the SMART acronym.

Here are some goal oriented meanings of "Realistic" I found when I Googled it recently.

The goal must be an objective you are "willing and able to work towards" - It must be "sensible" - It must be "wisely planned".

 These are all true of course, though are so clearly self-evident and generic that it is hard to believe they could be of much help to the person seeking to set the goal. "Relevant" on the other hand has a different context - it has connotations with "important" - which brings us back to the first of my earlier SMART posts http://www.proactivage.com/get-smart-look-yourself-i. So I'm going to part with tradition here and say that this 'R' should represent "Relevant" - something that has meaning for you and is Really Important for you at the time of setting the goal. It has the added advantage of being able to be defined in terms of your current situation which brings us back to the 'i' we discussed in the first couple of posts on this topic. So as you think about this ask yourself ...

What is relevant to me about achieving this goal?

Once you are able to answer this question honestly, you are well on your way to setting and achieving the goal you set for yourself.

So keep it relevant - and keep it really really important!