SMART Goals

SMART Goals

By Duncan Haughey, PMP

Once you have planned your project, turn your attention to developing several goals that will enable you to be successful. Goals should be SMART - specific, measurable, agreed upon, realistic and time-based.

A goal might be to hold a weekly project meeting with the key members of your team or to organize and run a continuous test program throughout the project.

The acronym SMART has a number of slightly different variations, which can be used to provide a more comprehensive definition for goal setting:

S - specific, significant, stretching

M - measurable, meaningful, motivational

A - agreed upon, attainable, achievable, acceptable, action-oriented

R - realistic, relevant, reasonable, rewarding, results-oriented

T - time-based, timely, tangible, trackable

This provides a broader definition that will help you to be successful in both your business and personal life.

When you next run a project take a moment to consider whether your goals are SMART goals.

To quote renowned American philanthropist Elbert Hubbard:

"Many people fail in life, not for lack of ability or brains or even courage, but simply because they have never organized their energies around a goal."

What it means to be a friend

As the older I get my definition of a friend changes and my needs from that definition is an ever revolving and changing thing. When I was young I needed a play buddy, someone I could meet in a secret place to visit far off lands, the only boundaries that we had were the ones our minds created, which is still true today. But today the rules and the game itself has evolved. I have been in many relationships through the years, some more successful then the others but relationships none the less. As my rules have changed through the years, the type of people that are associated with these relationships also changed. So, today a friend to me means someone you can trust, someone I can rely on, someone that will ask me for help when in need. I guess maybe I should tell you about a few of my friends I have now. Friend #1 I will call Brent, He lives about 2 1/2 half hours away but we talk on the phone on a regular basis and have been friends for about 15 years, in those 15 years we have gone through a significant amount of life together and can call upon those events with laughter or sorry, either way we can relate to each other, he trusts me as I do him. He can call me anytime day or night and if he really needed me I would be there and he would be there too for me. That is what a friend is to me.

Growing Older and staying in shape

Image by wallyg via Flickr

I live in San Diego California and to me it is a paradise, but I am having one little problem....I am getting older. I turned 43 this year and I like the age thing but the one thing that I hate is that it is getting harder and harder to stay  in shape. As I get older little tire around my waist has become a little bigger and the flat stomach that I used to hold on to, like some kind of trophy, has turned into a small pooch. Now because I really never acquired a work out ethic I can't seem to get enough gumption to do sit ups to get rid of it. I get up in the morning, get ready for work, drive to work, work all day and then when I get home all I want to do is eat, watch TV and go to bed. I am getting to the point that this lifestyle is not enough, I need more, I need to be inspired.

Well I just got my inspiration there was a fantastic Sculpturor called Polykleitos and he like many other artists of his time created some of the worlds famous pieces like "Diadoumenos". An amazing example of the men of the time, and I want to look like this, I remember in my twenties I was tall and really skinny, I saw a picture of myself today of me back then and I looked really unhealthy but young and defined. I did have abbs and a 30 inch waste but wow was I skinny.

Things are different these days, I feel really great about where I am at, I finally feel like I am growing into the body that I have always wanted. I am going to take some pics of me now and I will post them later. I am not like the sculpture in this blog and gosh I wish I were really like that beautiful man but I am getting there. I finally feel like I am almost in the body that God intended me to have, it has been a real challenge, I have to go to the gym 6 times a week and really watch what I eat but it is paying off, i really need to do more sit up though, But now that I am older and I am not going to have an easy time of it I finally gave up on trying to look young but I can have an amazing body. I totally got that it is me that is responsible for my body and my life, the harder I work on it the better I look and the more I feel right. So fo all you out there that are siting on your sofa wondering why you are puttin gon those extra pounds, GET UP...GO TO THE GYM...GO FOR A WALK....Do something healthy tomorrow and feel better about yourself.  IT DOES'NT GET ANY EASIER.

A Wonderful Day

Image via Wikipedia

I spent all day with my friend James, his friend Randy and my Partner Russ hanging out, shopping and going to the  Museum of Man her in San Diego.  And now we are sitting here watching Moma Meya, andother great movie, before thaty I was watching Julie & Julia. I really enjoyed both.