Set Goals and Crush Them in 2017

Published in

Agilent Careers

4 min readDec 30, 2016

“My philosophy of life is that if we make up our mind what we are going to make of our lives, then work hard toward that goal, we never lose — somehow we always win out.” — Ronald Reagan

In order to think about how to want to shape your 2017, here are some questions you can ask yourself:

What achievement are you most proud of from 2016?
If you had to describe your 2016 in 3 words, what would they be?
What new things did you discover about yourself this year?
What was the best news you received?
Which personal qualities turned out to be the most helpful for you this year?
Who was someone you could always rely on?
What new skills did you learn?
What, or who, are you most thankful for?

These questions are meant to give you insight into what type of things you value, what type of person you are, and what/who added value to your life. If you learned new things, maybe you should expand on those in the new year and GROW. Did you not have the best year? Think about what you can do to make this new year better.

You can see what worked and what didn't work for you in 2016. Decide what you specifically want to change and write it down.

From there, something that I have learned to implement in my life is the process of setting SMART goals. These types of goals give me the clarity, focus and motivation I need to make my goals a reality. What’s great about this approach is that ANYONE can do it! It can also improve your ability to reach your goals by encouraging you to define your objectives and set a completion date.

“Our goals can only be reached through a vehicle of a plan, in which we must fervently believe, and upon which we must vigorously act. There is no other route to success.” ~ Pablo Picasso

SMART goals are:

Specific

Your goal should be well defined and specific. If there is ambiguity, you won’t be able to focus your efforts and this may cause you to lose motivation. When thinking about your goal, ask yourself:

What do I want to accomplish?
Why is the goal important?
Who will be involved?
Where will I work on this goal?
What resources do I have access to?

Measurable

It’s important for your goals to be measurable so you can track your progress. You should be able to track and find out when you can or have achieved your goal.

A measurable goal should tell you:

How much do I need to do?
How will I know when I have succeeded?

Achievable

Your goal should be realistic. Set your goals based on other constraints in your life. You goals should align well with the availability of resources, knowledge, finances, time, etc.

Setting a goal that is basically impossible to complete is going to be hard on you mentally and drain you. For example, don’t set a goal to lose 30 pounds in a month, because as we’ve learned, quick fixes DON’T work.

Relevant

You should ensure that your goal truly matters to you. All your goals should align with the same purpose — to better your life. Ask yourself:

Is this the right time for this goal?
Does it match the needs of myself or others involved?
Am I the right person to achieve this goal?
Is this goal realistic in my current environment?
Is this goal worthwhile?

Timely

Every goal needs a date for completion. This way, you have a deadline you can focus on and give the goal your all. Setting a time frame prevents you from putting your long term goals on the back burner. There should be enough time to achieve the goal, but there should not be too much time, which can lead to procrastination.

Timely goals will tell you:

When should this goal be reached?
What can I do today?
What can I do a month from now?
What else can I do to reach my goal on time?

This is just a basic starting point for you. There is room for adjustment and it’s important to remember to have flexibility with your goals. Circumstances change all the time so it can be necessary to realign your goals in order to take care of other priorities.

Keep in mind that you don’t need to wait for the beginning of a new year to make a change! Identify your resolutions, plan how you will accomplish your goals, and execute. Let’s do this!