By Bonnie Sweet
We can know that we’ve obtained our goals if we have a method to measure the approach to our achievement. The S.M.A.R.T. objectives provide that method, as the letter “M” stands for Measurable. To leverage a measurement in order to obtain our goal, it must be meaningful and motivate us.
My fitness aspirations have led me to use a smartwatch that tracks my actual steps, workouts, water consumption, and sleeping stasis. This ability to measure my activity empowers me to set and achieve incremental goals—allowing me to leverage S.M.A.R.T. measurables.
Unfortunately, if we don’t watch our time or have deadlines, our quality of work can suffer. We might even feel like we may never be able to attain our goals. This can be discouraging and slow our progress.
During my professional growth through Toastmasters, I have access to many resources. For instance, the Pathway program was designed as a measurable tool that encourages a lot of incremental steps forward. We even get rewarded with each completed level. Additional measurement tools that keep me goal-bound include email, electronic calendars, and planners.
Finding the right tool is based on knowing what needs to be measured.
FITNESS GOAL EXAMPLE
Walking is the easiest and safest way to improve your circulatory system. The fitness industry has found that the measuring of steps walked is a great way to validate a person’s exercise and inspire a few more steps to empower a daily or weekly goal. Since the average person’s step goal is 10 thousand steps per day, smartwatches can count steps and store your achievements over time. The devices also celebrate your victories.
DTM PATH EXAMPLE
I’ve heard that to be awarded as a Distinguished Toastmaster (DTM), we have to take a lot of little steps and celebrate each win. Those who look at the big picture and all the things needed to achieve DTM status, seldom get past the introductory phase of Toastmasters. Thankfully, Pathways was designed for celebrating incremental growth and taking people from being a beginner to mastery. Some of the little steps include reading and watching great content, speaking in public, learning how to provide valuable feedback to others, and measuring your growth.
BUSINESS EXAMPLE
Today’s electronic calendars allow you to schedule video conference calls, the sending of emails, the uploading of planned social media content, and many other time-management tasks. When we don’t embrace a calendar, we can find ourselves over-scheduling ourselves, which may cause us issues and disappoints with the very people we want to serve. Not to mention how the quality of our work drops when we forget to schedule margin into our days.
The right tools are the ones that allow us to properly measure what is important. The measurement must be meaningful to us and motivate us to chase after our goal. The key is determining what to measure in a way that empowers us to succeed. As for me, my measurable fitness program is making me incrementally healthier every week, and based on my choices, I know exactly where I’ll be six months from now.
© 2020 by Bonnie Sweet