What Are Specific Goals?

As part of goal setting, we need to make sure that our goals are specific. To have goals that you can actually achieve means that you need to know what are specific goals.

If not, you end up having vague, open-ended, and somewhat unreachable goals because you are not clear on what it is that you want to accomplish. 

So once you know what specific goals are, this will help you with writing out appropriate goals for you and/or your micro business.

Then once you have them written out, you can review your writing and you will see that you have a much clearer picture of what you want to accomplish

In this article, I will be sharing with you how having specific goals gets you closer to having a successful micro business

Before I jump into to describing what are specific goals, I want to mention a little about the importance of writing your goals. 

Okay, so you may not be a pen and paper person. That's fine. Use your smartphone, iPad, Galaxy, or Tablet to type your goals. You can even use an app on your Mac, Surface, computer, or your laptop. 

The point is that you have to write your goals down!

Why? 

Because writing your goals increases your chances that you are going to be successful.

BUT remember that you are not just writing anything. You can’t write “I want” and expect that it will happen.

You NEED to be specific in your goal writing. Writing a vague or generalized goal does not provide the direction to success! That’s right, your goals should be guiding you to success.

But what really does it mean to be specific in your goal writing?

Before mentioning those 6 things, know that specific goals can be for personal or business goals.

Specific goals are simply about the specific thing that you need to accomplish.

There are 6 things that you need to know about having specific goals. These should be included in your goals to increase your chances of accomplishing your goal. 

For some of us, we may need to write an entire paragraph to help us understand what we are feeling or wanting from the goal. 

From that paragraph, we will be able to identify the specific details for that particular goal. 

The more details that you can include for your goal, the clearer your plan for achieving your goal will become. It will also help you identify possible resources that you will need to complete your goal. 

The details will help!

Time frames add to you being specific in the goal that you want to accomplish.

The time frame adds the element of ‘when’ of your goal. I know how anxiety-provoking it can be to have deadlines and due dates.

But when we do, we are making sure to hold ourselves accountable for the actions that we said we wanted to accomplish. 

Think of it this way, when you worked for someone else and that person gave you due dates, you made sure to complete the task or action by that due date. It may have be fueled by the incentive of not losing your job or gaining some reward. 

Regardless of the motivator, you made sure not to miss the deadline.

So now that you have your own business, don't you want to show the same level of commitment to your deadlines?

The biggest reward is having a successful business that makes it to five years and beyond.

Not to mention the revenue and profits that you are generating in the process of accomplishing your goals by your deadline. 

Remember that first point about being as detailed as you can?

Like I mentioned earlier, those details will help to identify the resources that you will need to accomplish your goal.

The reason why you should care about what you will need for your goals is because you want to be aware of possible roadblocks that might arise. Those roadblocks will be those things that you don't have access to but that you need to be able to accomplish the goal. 

Hence, the importance of knowing what resources you will need. Some examples of resources can include learning new skills, refreshing previously learned skills, adding additional team members, selecting a vendor, purchasing new computers, and creating a manual. 

Knowing the resources that you will need will help you to be more realistic about your deadlines for getting your goals accomplish. Remember that you can break big goals into smaller goals. 

Why is your goal even a goal?

As you think about and write your goals, you need to think about your reason for your goal.

When I think about the reason for my goal, it helps to keep me focused on my overall plan.

The reason for your goal is the ‘why’ of your goal. This should be clearly connected to your strategic plan, vision, and mission for your business. 

If you need help with understanding the importance of the 'why' of your goal, check out this article that I have on knowing your 'why' of your goal when setting your goals. 

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So your goal should be something that you can actually accomplish.

It should also be something that you want to accomplish. Yes you wrote the details of your goals, but those details don't have to be complex.

Write your goal as easy as you can. When you do this, it gives you clarity on defining how you want to end up. 

Remember that you can be easy with several details! 

You are writing goals that you will be reviewing periodically. When you work with a business coach, you can identify the frequency for you to use to check your progress towards your goals. 

Also, you want your goals to be motivational for you. 

So, write your goal using positive language because goals that start with a negative mean that you think that you are doing something wrong. Plus, you are not going to feel motivated to work towards a goal that starts with negative language. 

Here's an example to illustrate what I mean about avoiding negative language:

Rather than say: “Quit my job I hate”

You should say: “Find a job that matches my skills, interests, and financial goals.”

See the difference in the two statements. If you are not sure how to write your business goals using positive language, have a consultation with a business coach to get started.

By the way, if you are writing a goal that includes your skills and interests, then you should know what those are. When I work with business owners, I enjoy helping them learn about their skills. 

In being specific about your goal, ask yourself:

1. What do I want to accomplish?

2. When do I want to do this?

3. Why is this a goal for me?

Those questions should help guide you in your journey in writing specific goals.

Smartsheet.com has visuals that you could download to help you in writing specific goals.

Now that we have covered the 6 things that you should include when writing specific goals and the 3 question that can help guide you,  I want to share an example with you.

This entire article focused on writing specific goals. So here is the difference between a vague goal and a specific goal:

Vague – "I want to make more money in my business"

Specific – "By the end of December 2021, I will design and launch service X at the cost of $1000 and aim to get a minimum of 20 prospects to purchase that service."

The specific goal contains the elements that I mentioned earlier. This is a big goal that you can easily breakdown into smaller goals. 

Do not be one of those people who avoid responsibility.

Be committed to YOU!

Write your goals and be specific.

By the way, along with being specific, your goals should also be:

• Realistic

• Lead to you creating an action plan

• Look at the big and small picture

So now that you are thinking about your current business and your future success.

How are you going to get there?

You will write what you want your success to be. Make a commitment to yourself. Write your goals AND be specific.

If you are ready to get started on that commitment to you and your business, submit an application for our coaching program and see if you qualify. 

Thank you for reading. 

Remember that Solutions+Actions=Results! (SoAR!)™

Regards,

Dr. Priscilla Kucer "Dr. P"

CEO and Founder

Priscilla Kucer Consulting Solutions LLC

References:

Smartsheet: Essential Guide Writing SMART Goals - https://www.smartsheet.com/blog/essential-guide-writing-smart-goals

Mindtools - https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newHTE_90.htm