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If you have a hard time achieving your goals and dreams you’re not alone. Life can get in the way of even the best laid plans, bumping you off course and making your dreams seem further away instead of closer. So how do you fight back and make sure you stay on track to get to where you want to be?  You set SMART goals! 

SMART is an acronym that is attributed to Peter Drucker’s Management by Objectives concept. To make sure your goals are clear and reachable, using the handy acronym, each one should be:

• Specific (simple, sensible, significant).
• Measurable (meaningful, motivating).
• Achievable (agreed, attainable).
• Relevant (reasonable, realistic and resourced, results-based).
• Time bound (time-based, time limited, time/cost limited, timely, time-sensitive).

SMART goals are about making sure that the vision that you have for your future is clear and then making a plan to get there. They can be for anything: the type of home you would like to buy one day, the career you envision, and even the type of education you would like to secure for yourself so that you can build that bright future. 

Today, we’re going to chat about what SMART goals are and how you can utilize them to make sure that your time at CBBC Career  College is as effective and productive as possible (so that future you’ve always wanted is within your reach!).

Specific

Let’s look at ‘S’ for Specific. Your goal should be clear and specific otherwise you won’t be able to focus your efforts or feel truly motivated to achieve it. This is the part that makes that vision for the future less hazy and more clear. 

• What do I want to accomplish?
• Why is this goal important?
• Who is involved?
• Where is it located?
• Which resources or limits are involved?

If you’re heading back to school specific can be easy. Just to be simple about this let’s set the specific part of your goal at graduation: “I want to graduate from CBBC Career College in 2021 with a diploma in Business Administration.”

Measurable

You need to be able to track your goals and stay motivated to achieve success. Just saying what you want to achieve is helpful  but being able to know when you’ve reached the finish line and pat yourself on the back is kind of the point! A measurable goal should address questions like:

• How much?
• How many?
• How will I know when it is accomplished?

That’s pretty easy because that diploma will mean that you’ve graduated and completed your goal but you may want to go above and beyond. Is just graduating what you want? Or is it important for you to be at the top of your Business Administration class? Be specific so you know when you can measure your success. 

Achievable

Your goal also needs to be realistic and attainable to be successful. You need to challenge yourself but still be within the realm of possibility. You can be top of your class but they won’t be able to graduate any faster than the rest of the class. To ensure your goals are achievable you need to think about the following:

• How can I accomplish this goal?
• How realistic is the goal, based on other constraints?

Do you have time to go back to school? Do you have the schedule and the ability to complete 46 weeks of education? If not, how can you make changes in your life to make sure that you’re going to be successful in your new endeavour?

Relevant

This step is about making sure that your goal matters to you! A relevant goal can answer “yes” to these questions:

• Does this seem worthwhile?
• Is this the right time?
• Am I the right person to reach this goal?

This is so important. If you have no interest in Business Administration or Business in general you probably won’t enjoy your new program or career and should probably reconsider. Maybe Cosmetology or Pharmacy Assistant is more relevant to what you’re interested in. Or maybe that 2021 graduation date is tough because you need a bit more time to get your life in order. Maybe 2022 is more achievable. These are all things to consider to make your goals a reality!

Time-bound

This part of the SMART goal criteria helps to prevent everyday tasks from taking priority over your longer-term goals. A time-bound goal will usually answer these questions:

• When?
• What can I do six months from now?
• What can I do six weeks from now?
• What can I do today?

To put this into the context we’ve been using, this is the breakdown to get you through the Business Administration  program and achieving success upon graduation (or even before!). What can you do today? Today you can talk to your spouse / friends / family members and get their support behind you as you move forward. Tomorrow you can call CBBC Career College and find out what requirements you need to apply. And so on, and so on. These baby steps will lead you to the finish line and into your new dream career!

So what are you waiting for? 

Make your goals a reality with CBBC Career College! We have courses starting all the time and our admissions team would love to work with you to help you achieve your dreams. Visit our website to learn more and to get started today!