Some months back I attended a training session where there was a seminar on how we should set up 'SMART' goals in our lives: on how we should transform our ambitions that are nourished and cherished as somewhat vague and undefined dreams into concrete and definite aspirations. It was one of those sessions where the employee gets a moment's respite from his daily ordeals as he dozes off in the AC, stretching casually on the most comfortable chairs as the trainer goes on with his lectures all day long. Coming back to the point, a 'SMART' goal, I gathered, is supposed to be specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and tangible (or timebound) at the same time. The management people will elaborate on each word and provide a detailed explanation of them, but essentially, the thing is that we should set precise targets for us and work to acheive them in a perfectly systematic manner. Simple, definite and comprehensible.
Although demanding a lot of foresight, the principle of SMART goals, when rigidly followed, is a sure road to success. Aspirations, however, are usually too qualitative to put them in the form of a mathematical expression. We grow up believing in vague and impractical aspirations that are far from reality. The doctrine we are discussing, in essence, encourages us to set well-defined objectives in lieu of those dreamy wishes for the future. Undoubtedly, when a dream is quantized to a series of subsequent easy-to-attain steps, the acheivement of the goal becomes simpler, usually at the cost of the grandeur of the final destination. The pragmatist would be satisfied with that, for to him, it's better to settle for something decent rather than wasting his life in the quest of something magnificent but unachievable. The mediocre would get a result beyond his expectation by channelizing his thought and actions in the course of a smart target. Most of us would be able to work up to our full potential in the process. And society, by and large, would be able to maintain its prosperity through the success of the individual.
A miniscule portion of the poulation, however, would never compromise their grand aspirations: they would stagger in an awkward and unsmart manner along the streets of life in the quest of something magical; they would stumble occassionally and many of them would fall. But some would still eventually reach their destiny amidst criticism and adversities; and in their success they would take society itself one step forward.
Although demanding a lot of foresight, the principle of SMART goals, when rigidly followed, is a sure road to success. Aspirations, however, are usually too qualitative to put them in the form of a mathematical expression. We grow up believing in vague and impractical aspirations that are far from reality. The doctrine we are discussing, in essence, encourages us to set well-defined objectives in lieu of those dreamy wishes for the future. Undoubtedly, when a dream is quantized to a series of subsequent easy-to-attain steps, the acheivement of the goal becomes simpler, usually at the cost of the grandeur of the final destination. The pragmatist would be satisfied with that, for to him, it's better to settle for something decent rather than wasting his life in the quest of something magnificent but unachievable. The mediocre would get a result beyond his expectation by channelizing his thought and actions in the course of a smart target. Most of us would be able to work up to our full potential in the process. And society, by and large, would be able to maintain its prosperity through the success of the individual.
A miniscule portion of the poulation, however, would never compromise their grand aspirations: they would stagger in an awkward and unsmart manner along the streets of life in the quest of something magical; they would stumble occassionally and many of them would fall. But some would still eventually reach their destiny amidst criticism and adversities; and in their success they would take society itself one step forward.
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