So here we are…the end of the SMART goal setting with the step I think, in some ways, matters the most of all.

Time.

Time bound goals encompass all the other steps. Time is specific and measurable. A good time bound goal will be attainable in that time and it is realistic to do it with that time.

If you neglect Time in your goal setting process, it’s most likely the reason you don’t meet your goals. You never have a deadline as to when you reached them.  Putting an end point on your goal gives you a clear target to work towards. If you don’t set a time, the commitment is too vague. It tends not to happen because you feel you can start at any time. Without a time limit, there’s no urgency to start taking action now.

Timely – A goal should be grounded within a time frame. With no time frame tied to it there’s no sense of urgency. If you want to lose 10 lbs, when do you want to lose it by? “Someday” won’t work. But if you anchor it within a timeframe, “by May 1st”, then you’ve set your unconscious mind into motion to begin working on the goal.

Bad example: “I am going to do my homework.”

Good example: “I will finish my homework by 8pm tonight, Feb 22, and I’ll achieve this deadline by spending one hour on each subject starting now.”

By investing time making sure that your goals fit the SMART criteria, you will dramatically improve your success rate. Try it out. Let me know how it goes.

When defining Canada you might list some statistics

you might mention our tallest building or biggest lake

you might shake a tree in the fall and call a red leaf Canada

you might rattle off some celebrities might mention Buffy Sainte-Marie might even mention the fact that we’ve got a few Barenaked Ladies

or that we made these crazy things like zippers electric cars and washing machines

when defining Canada it seems the world’s anthem has been” been there done that”

and maybe that’s where we used to be at it’s true

we’ve done and we’ve been

we’ve seen all the great themes get swallowed up by the machine and turned into theme parks

but when defining Canada

don’t forget to mention that we have set sparks

we are not just fishing stories

about the one that got away

we do more than sit around and say “eh?”

and yes

we are the home of the Rocket and the Great One

who inspired little number nines and little number ninety-nines

but we’re more than just hockey and fishing lines

off of the rocky coast of the Maritimes

and some say what defines us is something as simple as please and thank you

and as for you’re welcome, well we say that too

but we are more than genteel or civilized

we are an idea in the process of being realized

we are young

we are cultures strung together then woven into a tapestry

and the design is what makes us more than the sum total of our history

we are an experiment going right for a change with influences that range from a to zed

and yes we say zed instead of zee

we are the colours of Chinatown and the coffee of Little Italy

we dream so big that there are those who would call our ambition an industry

because we are more than sticky maple syrup and clean snow

we do more than grow wheat and brew beer

we are vineyards of good year after good year

we reforest what we clear because we believe in generations beyond our own

knowing now that so many of us have grown past what used to be

we can stand here today filled with all the hope people have when they say things like “someday”

someday we’ll be great

someday we’ll be this or that

someday we’ll be at a point

when someday was yesterday and all of our aspirations will pay the way

for those who on that day

look towards tomorrow and still they say someday

we will reach the goals we set and we will get interest on our inspiration

because we are more than a nation of whale watchers and lumberjacks

more than backpacks and hiking trails

we are hammers and nails building bridges towards those who are willing to walk across

we are the lost-and-found for all those who might find themselves at a loss

we are not the see-through gloss or glamour of those who clamour for the failings of others

we are fathers brothers sisters and mothers, uncles and nephews aunts and nieces, we are cousins

we are found missing puzzle pieces

we are families with room at the table for newcomers

we are more than summers and winters

more than on and off seasons

we are the reasons people have for wanting to stay because we are more than what we say or do

we live to get past what we go through and learn who we are

we are students

students who study the studiousness of studying

so we know what as well as why

we don’t have all the answers but we try and the effort is what makes us more

we don’t all know what it is in life we’re looking for so keep exploring

go far and wide or go inside but go deep

go deep as if James Cameron was filming a sequel to The Abyss and suddenly there was this location scout

trying to figure some way out to get inside you because you’ve been through hell and high water

and you went deep

keep exploring because we are more than a laundry list of things to do and places to see

we are more than hills to ski or countryside ponds to skate

we are the abandoned hesitation of all those who can’t wait

we are first-rate greasy-spoon diners and healthy-living cafes

a country that is all the ways you choose to live

a land that can give you variety

because we are choices

we are millions upon millions of voices shouting

” keep exploring… we are more”

we are the surprise the world has in store for you

it’s true

Canada is the “what” in “what’s new?”

so don’t say “been there done that” unless you’ve sat on the sidewalk while chalk artists draw still life’s

on the concrete of a kid in the street beatboxing to Neil Young for fun

don’t say you’ve been there done that unless you’ve been here doing it

let this country be your first-aid kit

for all the times you get sick of the same old same old

let us be the story told to your friends and when that story ends

leave chapters for the next time you’ll come back

next time pack for all the things you didn’t pack for the first time but don’t let your luggage define your travels

each life unravels differently

and experiences are what make up the colours of our tapestry

we are the true north

strong and free

and what’s more

is that we didn’t just say it

we made it be.

by Shane Koyczan Opening Ceremonies of the Vancouver 2010 Olympics

Happiness is…. Taking a 5 second break from your day, and realizing that all the negatives you are thinking about, are so small, and dwarfed by what you have in your life…

Insert yours in the comments section.

Optimism and pessimism both tend to be self-fulfilling prophecies.

If you think a setback is permanent, why would you try to change it?

 Pessimistic explanations tend to make you feel defeated – making you less likely to take constructive action. Optimistic explanations, on the other hand, make you more likely to act. If you think the setback is only temporary, you’re apt to try to do something about it, and because you take action, you make it temporary.

 

Life inflicts the same setbacks and tragedies on the optimist as on the pessimist but the optimist weathers them better. The optimist bounces back from defeat and starts again. The pessimist falls into depression.

 

Because of the resilience an optimist achieves more at work, at school, and on the field. They have better health.

 

Pessimists are not necessarily grouchy and optimists are not necessarily cheerful. That’s a whole personality issue of a different kind. An optimist is not ultra cheerful, grinning from ear to ear, claiming that it’s not so bad, always promoting the bright side of things. The optimist does not blame others. Learning to be more optimistic is an inside job. It is about learning a new set of skills about how to talk to yourself when you suffer a setback.

 

This about core beliefs and how you explain your situations. A pessimist can quite cheerfully tell you it’s a beautiful day until it rains again as it always does. A shrug, a smile, but this is pessimism. A good state – the sun – is temporary, the rain – a negative – is permanent.

While an optimist may experience a terrible loss. Like my friends who lost a child last summer, but they believe they did everything they could, they will learn to move on somehow and it wasn’t their fault. They are by no means cheery right now – they are devastated, but they are optimistic about their future.

 

How you talk to yourself determines your explanatory style. The key here is what your habit it is. Become aware of your knee jerk reaction. When something surprising happens, things don’t go as planned, what is your habitual reaction?

 

This is where the change begins. When you find yourself thinking something permanent, negative, whatever it is, you must stop.

 

Sounds simple, right? Ok let’s try. Do not think about apple pie.

 

How’d that work out?

 

You have no capacity to refrain from thinking about the pie but what you can do is redirect your attention. Think about the pie again. Now, slam your hand against the wall hard and shout stop.

 

Let’s imagine that you actually did that. Now, I’m thinking your hands might sting. Thinking about that now, aren’t you. You’ve interrupted your habitually thinking pattern. This is a very effective way to change your thought processes. However it can be disruptive to the rest of the world too.

 

Another thing to try is to have an elastic band around your wrist and snap it every time you begin negative self talk. This is excellent to help you stop complaining and find out if you’re a closet pessimist.

 

Sometimes, the monkey chatter just comes right back. There are 2 things to do now. One, you can write it down. Sometimes this helps get it out of your head. Another, and this is especially helpful for my students, is to schedule time later to think about it. Your negative thoughts that go round and round don’t want to be forgotten so if you tell them they have their slot after dinner or on Saturday morning, that can help settle them down. This lessens their purpose and takes away their strength.

 

This requires practice. Once you begin noticing how you think you can being talking to yourself in a different way.

 

Choose the lens to look through that says, this is temporary, it’s this one thing, and it will get better.