Do you have a vision in mind of where you want to be? Do you have a career goal, family goal or just a passion goal that you want to meet?

When you’re looking at making goals and reaching them, you decide where you’re going and then you start looking at how you’re going to get there. When you’re looking at where you want to be in life and you’re trying to figure out how to get there, you can set SMART goals.

What we’re talking about when we say SMART goals are goals that are specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-based.

So to break that down a little bit, first you have specific goals. Instead of saying, I’m going to do better at my job, you can set specific tasks that you are going to work hard to improve.

Measurable goals are something that you can check off a checklist. It’s something that you’ll know when you have reached that goal because it’s measurable. For example, you may be learning three new skills that can help reach your goal.

Attainable- you want to set goals that you can actually reach or you’re going to be discouraged and feel defeated before you even start. You’d be setting yourself up for failure- nobody wants that!

Relevant- it needs to be applying to your overall goals and the situation that you’re in, and it needs to fit the circumstance.

Last is time-based. You want to set a deadline for yourself. You’re more motivated when you have a deadline in front of you, so pick a date in the future when it’s realistic but something that’s going to challenge you a bit. You want something that’s going to push you forward just enough to be able to reach that goal. It’s a goal so you may not reach it in that time period, but that’s where you are trying to push yourself. If you reach that time period and the goal’s not met then you just set a new time period, but try your best to reach\ that first goal because that’s the challenge.

When we see a challenge, it’s easier to work toward it when we have a time-frame in mind.

To recap: specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-based.

When you have all of those components in your goals, your goals are SMART, and that can help push you forward to where you are going and how you’re going to get there.

I’d like to leave you with the passage from Proverbs, 21:5 and that reads, “the plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty.”

So remember that when you are seeking God’s kingdom first, and you’re putting your spiritual wellness first in all things, relying on Him for guidance, then you’re making your plans with His guidance and you’re going to succeed.

If you are ready to really get serious about your goals and explore how your spiritual health ties into those goals, then check out our membership group, Digging Deeper. You can find information about that group at https://diggingdeeper.everydayincredible.net.

I look forward to seeing you there! You are also invited to join our free Facebook group Every Day Incredible Ladies: finding Christ–centered life balance.  Come share your goals with us, pray with us, and praise with us. As always, remember there are opportunities every day so make every day incredible.