Purposeful Growth

The prevailing methodology for goal setting, especially in organizations, follows the SMART acronym. SMART is an acronym for varying process steps, typically Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time (linked). But SMART may not be the best goal setting process for everyone. SMART is primarily a left-brained process, lending itself to tracking by managers, which makes it ideal for performance based evaluations.

If you’re more interested in achieving your goals than in being measured against them by your boss, consider setting your

goals creatively. Creative goal setting may lend itself to those who tend to use right-brain processes more than left-brain, but anyone can learn to use this process. And it may not only help you achieve your goals faster, it may be more fulfilling, inspire greater energy, and sharpen use of your inherent creative side. 

The right side of our brains furnish big-picture processes, helping us grasp total situations, reach overall insights, and see creative, alternative solutions. The right side also houses our faith-based spiritual thinking.

Following the SAFE methodology will safely guide you to achieving your most challenging goals. SAFE stands for

• See the end result
• Accept the end result
• Feel the end result
• Express the end result

See it, Accept it, Feel it, and Express it!

See it: It’s important that you see yourself having reached the goal. Visualize yourself in the new situation that results when you attain your goal. This step combines some aspects of SMART in that to see yourself at the desired end

result of your goal you must have a specific definition of that end result. It’s very difficult to see yourself being a better parent without having defined what better parenting means to you. 

Seeing yourself having reached the goal automatically ensures that your goal is specific. Being able to see yourself there also ensures that your goal is realistic and achievable for you. Our minds won’t allow us to see ourselves in a situation that appears beyond our abilities.

Accept it: This is a critical step, accepting not just the goal, but the end result of the goal. Accept means that you open yourself to attaining the goal AND you are 100% certain that it will occur. This is critical to goal attainment because it ensures that you have no doubts. You may not know exactly how you’ll achieve your goal, but you have no doubt about achieving it; it will happen and you know it.

Feel it: Goal attainment is more about attracting what we want than chasing what we want. Attraction is strengthened by combining the mental power of thinking about the goal (seeing and accepting) with the emotional power of the feelings you’ll have when the goal is achieved. As you visualize yourself having achieved the goal, allow yourself to feel the accompanying emotions. The stronger the emotion the stronger the attraction to the goal.

If upon visualizing yourself having reached a goal, the strongest emotion you can muster is relief, the goal may not be your goal. It might be someone else’s goal for you. This is typical of goals your boss gives you. Your true goals should bring forth emotions of passion, excitement, energy, and enthusiasm.

Express it: Expressing your goal is the final step in creating it. In this step you not only see yourself having achieved the goal, including how you feel once you’re there, but you express the end result in words, verbalizing and writing it in great detail. You might also draw a picture of it or create a collage.

It’s important that your expression embody the aspects of seeing, acceptance, and feeling in present tense format. You express goal attainment as if you’ve already achieved it; it’s a done deal and you’re simply describing it.

If you are primarily a left-brain oriented person, as I once was, you may be highly suspicious of this process. There are two reasons you may want to try the SAFE method of goal setting for your very challenging goals.

First, developing greater use of your right brain functions will further your personal growth. Totally depending on left brain competencies is like working with one hand tied behind your back; you can do more and be more effective using both sides of your brain. See Dan Pink’s A Whole New Mind for an interesting exploration and prediction of the future of right brain power.

Secondly, you’ll find the SAFE method is easy and fun. When your goals just seem to come to you rather than having to chase them down, goal setting becomes easier and fun; it’s no longer work, it’s personal growth on purpose.

This entry was posted on Thursday, December 7th, 2006 at 9:17 pm and is filed under Change, Tools, Personal Development. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.