Achieving Targets along with developing implicit skills (SMART Goals) aligned with Ultimate Goal

\”Make all you can. Save all you can. Give all you can.”

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Understanding Targets and Goals

             In life we create different targets as per our needs, wants, desires, or passions. While achieving targets, most important thing is to develop respective skills related to the target. For example, if the target is to become an Engineer, then development of the corresponding engineering skills plays a critical role in the target fulfillment. Same things are applicable to Doctor skills, Advocate skills or any other profession and corresponding targets. These skills are explicit skills which keep on changing as per the target defined.

      Similarly, there are implicit behavioral skills based on pure deep knowledge which are common for all the targets. Below are some examples:

  • Our ability to respond to situations instead of reacting.
  • Our ability to get solutions without stress, anger…etc.
  • Our ability to execute tasks with calm stable mind along with satisfaction.

 

      Ultimately, success of our target depends upon well executions of implicit skills which makes pleasant journey along with happy finishing line of target.

      In this designed framework of happiness, being SMART implies to development of implicit Life Skills which are the key pillars for success in respective targets. Implicit Life Skills are always aligned with Ultimate goal of Absolute Happiness and Integrity.

Targets

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SMART Life Skills approach

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Let\’s understand goals and targets with an example

Day to Day life Key notesMilestones

  • Create goal, Be alert/mindfulness/live in presence to watch goal every moment.
  • Internal peace is primary goal, accomplishing any task without internal peace is very expensive.
  • Incremental happiness is measured with incremental freedom, equanimity and satisfaction(completeness).
  • Accept reality (continous change is fundamental nature of universe elements), not situation or people.
  • After accept either tolerate or change/improve.
  • Accept Emotions and managed them by thoughts and actions.
  • Carefully watch your seeds of negative thoughts(faults and flaws) and corresponding trigger situations, then convert into positive thoughts before it becomes limiting belief. 
  • Commitment and Developing Counter thoughts are best detergent for purifying thoughts and living happy life.
  • Busy yourself in purifying, so we don\’t get time for finding faults in others.We can find facts instead faults.

Let\’s understand goals and targets with an example

      Let’s consider 3 friends going for camping or trekking in the jungle. One of them is making a target to reach to the river bank, the second one is targeting to climb the mountain and the third one is targeting to reach the valley. Each person has a different target. The challenges in their journey of reaching their target are to be saved from thorns, mud, water, sharp stones, dangerous slopes, etc…

      In order to safeguard themselves from all the above painful situations, they all have to wear shoes with strong, flexible, gripping soles so avoid slides, water proof upper shoe body, lace to control tightness and looseness, etc…

      Considering the above example, the shoe represents SMART skills, by developing which, every person can avoid pain in the journey of life having any kind of targets which are aligned with ultimate goal (that is absolute happiness).

      The motive is not just to create and achieve targets, but developing SMART skills is the core purpose. Similar to the situation, once a common shoe is available, any friend can have a happy journey by choosing multiple targets. Achieving targets with painful journey is not worthy. With this we can conclude that achieving goals (developing SMART skills) is more important than achieving target. It is good to achieve both goals and targets in life. One can consider his life is successful if goals are achieved with missing some of the targets.

      Even though targets are different, these shoes are common between all 3 friends to safeguard them from all those painful situations.

Jungle with River bank,Mountain and Valley

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Common Shoes and SMART Skills

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High Moral Target Examples

Equanimity (Samatvam): of mind under any situation. Equanimity means the emotional strength to face the ups and downs of life with equanimity. (Tapah).Assimilated Knowledge becomes a great shock absorber in life. Just as a car which is driven through a pothole ridden road. We cannot do anything about the potholes because it’s not under our control.

Independence (Svatantram): Psychological independence from objects. The absence or presence of objects does not affect me emotionally. Only when I am dependent (attachment, all kleshas) on external factors for my happiness will they affect me emotionally.

Fullness, Completeness (Purnatvam): Because I know I am the Self, which is not confined to this body, I am free from all sense of limitation. There is no sense of rejection or isolation. If I am a person, I can be rejected. But as the Self nobody can reject me because I am all-pervasive. Just as space cannot be rejected by anyone, I the Self cannot be rejected by anyone.

One may engage in large and complicated business endeavours, yet their inner motivation remains to serve the society and constant effort of developing skills like \”being SMART\” with the wealth they earn. In this manner, they offer their inclination for earning money as sacrifice.

Some persons are inclined towards the development of knowledge. This propensity finds its perfect employment in the study of advanced and enhanced skills for enhancing one’s understanding and involve in teaching and preaching others.

Cultivating the modes of goodness, by following the instructions given in the scriptures, and purifying the mind with spiritual practices.