Page 49 - Hard Goals

40 HARD Goals

studies on numerical topics like fi nancial management). But
boy do you have to be careful about killing off people’s feelings
toward their goals when you’re at the beginning of the goal-
setting process. Some companies still use a fairly antiquated
goal-setting process called SMART Goals (which stands for Spe-

cific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time-Limited). Not
only do you not see the words feel or heartfelt anywhere in there,
but Specifi c and Measurable are the pieces that usually get com-
panies all excited about turning every goal into a number (ironi-
cally killing off any real excitement that might have existed).
Later on in the book I’ll show you how to effectively inte-
grate numbers into your goals. But for now, suffi ce it to say that
numbers come after feelings. If you’re trying to lose 20 pounds,
until you have a deep emotional connection to that goal, don’t
go making any buttons with “20” on them. The same goes for
posting “20” sticky notes on the bathroom mirror or the refrig-
erator—at least if you care about keeping your goal alive.
When you’re at the beginning of your goal process, you
need to develop feeling. You want an emotional attachment to
your goals that gives you the ceaseless energy to pursue them
no matter how tough it gets. Otherwise you too will have big
buttons with numbers that are nothing more than a reminder
of a failed goal that you weren’t all that emotionally attached
to in the fi rst place.

Apple Versus Microsoft: A Perfect Example of
Individualizing and Personalizing

Do you remember those “I’m a Mac, I’m a PC” ads that Apple
ran (and may still be running, depending on when you’re reading