Writing out my ‘smart’ goals for this month was such a chore. Feeling fed up with the same old mechanical rote of ‘Specific, Measured, Achievable, Realistic and Timed’ my creative mind saw the word ‘smart’ backwards, which reads T.R.A.M.S.
Before I knew it I was day-dreaming about being on the right track, and asking myself the following questions:
- Are you in the driver’s seat or sitting up the back?
- Where are you heading?
- Do you have a map and timetable?
- Are you going to jump off when struggling uphill or keep going until you reach the top and enjoy the view on the other side?
- Who is on your tram with you? (support team)
- Who is hanging on to the back of your tram and holding you back?
Before I knew it, I had this beautiful picture of my dream unfolding and could feel the motivation in my gut to get started. So, I added my own meaning to each letter in the word T.R.A.M.S.
Towards – Focus on moving forward to the positive – don’t look back.
Relationships – No one is an island. We all need help to achieve whatever we are aiming for. Creating trusted Relationships in your personal and private life is imperative for your success. I also like to think of the Reward I will enjoy /celebrate when I’ve achieved my goal.
Act As If – The mind doesn’t know the difference between a real truth and an imagined truth, it just believes what we tell it. Plus, it’s fun to role play and in no time it will be real.
Meaningful – Making my goals Meaningful and Memorable allows me to engage my heart, not just my head and I feel more inspired to take action.
Stable – Being on the right track helps me to feel Stable, ignore distractions, know I’m heading in the right direction, keep things Simple and Smile!
I have shared this goal setting method with many of my clients and they have found it to be an effective and refreshing approach. I hope you gain benefit from it too. Enjoy the journey!
To learn more about self-care see: Reignite your Spark
