What they are and what Characteristics they must possess in order to be “defined” clearly

What is a Goal
An Objective is defined as the “purpose of an action or initiative” or, even better, as the “tangible result of a planned strategy or action plan”. In fact, unlike the “Dream” (which can be comparable to a “daydreaming or illusory hope”) and the “Desire” (which can be translated as “aspiration or impulse to obtain something we lack”), the Goal “Something different”, in terms of “clarity” and “concreteness”.
The Characteristics that an Objective must possess
The Objective must have certain characteristics, summarized by the acronym S.M.A.R.T./S.M.A.R.T.E.S .:
• S.: Specific (the goal must not be generic, but well identified: for example, losing weight)
• M.: Measurable (the goal must contain a quantitative unit of measurement: lose weight 10 Kg.)
• A.: Feasible (the subject must have the requirements to achieve the goal: for example, being healthy and being able to run)
• R.: Realistic (the subject must be able to make it happen: example associating a diet with physical sport)
• T.: Timed (there must be a deadline, that is, have a timing: example by 31.12.2021)
This last “basic” feature is the most important of all as the Objective must always be linked to a “time limit”, otherwise it would lose its effectiveness, as it would not be possible to carry out the verification to ascertain whether the planned results at the strategy or action plan has been achieved.
In addition, to make the Objective more complete, there are two other “additional” parameters to be respected:
• E.: Ethical / Ecological (it must be ethically acceptable and respectful of the environment and the community: for example, the person who wants to lose weight should do so with respect for the environment and others).
• S.: Challenger (the goal must not be too easy to achieve: in the sense that the person who has set the goal of weight loss must be aware that this is the optimal result and not partial).
How do you “define” an Objective with clarity?
To clearly “define” an Objective, you must first ask yourself a few questions: “Is it under my complete control?” … “What priority do you have at this moment in my life?” … “How much time am I willing to actively devote to achieving it?” … “Am I able to reach it alone or do I have to resort to the help of others?”. In fact, only by answering these questions, we can “define” in our mind clearly if the goal we have set ourselves is really within our reach, or if it risks occupying, without constructive, our time and our energies and, that in case of non-achievement, it risks becoming yet another false “proof” of our inability.