Click Below to Listen to Today's Show [app_audio src="http://traffic.libsyn.com/goalgettingpodcast/S2-E44_SMART_Making_You_Dumb_Final.mp3"] If you listened to this post before you will notice I had the wrong audio on the other version of this post. I bet you thought you were losing it. What did Brooke Shields have to do with SMART Goals. I don't know what I did with the audio, but I believe I have the correct audio here. Please accept my apologies. Albert Einstein was smart. But you are too. Most of us are smart, but we don't have the fortitude to stay with our problems until we solve them. The same is true for our goals in most cases. Most of use have heard of SMART Goals and follow this methodology as the script when we create and write our goals. Do you set SMART Goals only to feel dumb when you don't achieve them?  Don't feel dumb, it's not that you aren't SMART, it's that SMART Goals don't go far enough. What are SMART Goals?  The methodology of SMART Goals was developed for setting business or management goals. SMART Goals are * Specific * Measurable * Achievable (or Assignable) * Realistic (or Relevant) * Time-bound There are several interpretations for each of the letters, but the two most ambiguous are A and R. If A = Achievable  and R = Realistic, isn't that saying the same thing? If my goal is achievable, it must be realistic, right? If it isn't realistic, it most likely wouldn't be achievable. If we are thinking in a business or management mindset, a goal should be assignable. In other words, someone must be able to be assigned to complete it. There must, therefore, be certain tasks that someone must complete for the goal to be achieved. I think it would be smarter to make the A = Actionable, thereby making someone Accountable for completing the action. So maybe Accountable should be the A. Well, Realistic shouldn't be used for R if Achievable is the A. But if A is Actionable, Assignable or even Accountable, then R should be Realistic. Why? Your goals should be Achievable, wait, I mean Realistic. Well since they both are the same thing they should be either or both; Realistically Achievable. So, are you feeling dumb already. Don't! Even if you understand what SMART should stand for, it still isn't enough and you probably still feel dumb. You set SMART Goals. You followed SMART to the T. Your goals were set correctly by the SMART standards. But, you still aren't achieving your goals. You can't seem to get the goals your set. Why not? If my goals are SMART, then I must be dumb. You are not dumb. You just don't know. What you don't know are there are really 9 Steps to Successful Goal Achievement. The 9 Steps include elements of SMART Goals but they also contain the essences of SMARTER goals, too.  The 9 Steps to Successful Goal Achievement will make your goal setting successful. I wrote my eBook, 9 Steps to Successful Goal Achievement and you can find it on Amazon here. What are the 9 Steps that will make you feel smart and successful? Successful Goal Setting * Write it Down - Clearly Defined (specific) / Written Goals * Be Realistic - Realistically Achievable Goals * Set A Deadline - Time-Bound Goals * Set An Action Plan - Actionable Goals * Measure It / Track it - Measurable Goals * Define Your Why - Relevant, Meaningful Goals * Visualize It - Believable Goals * Make a Commitment - Accountable Goals * Reward Yourself - Motivational Goals If you want to learn how you can put these 9 steps into ef...