Sunday, June 12, 2022

If you own a business or are simply an individual with aspirations, then you probably already know the importance of setting goals. A goal, simply put, is a desired endpoint, accomplishment, or target that you wish to achieve. They help keep progress on track, and when utilized effectively, can have incredible results. Today we'll be discussing a popular and proven method of goal-setting: the S.M.A.R.T. method.

Specific
First up in this method is specificity. In this first step you'll analyze what you want to accomplish. Are you interested in growing an engaged audience or driving more traffic to your website each month? How about increasing your overall sales through the use of social media? Whatever your goal, it must be definitive. You'll then want to begin building a plan detailing your actions to reach this goal.

Measurable
Okay, so now you have a specific goal. But what good is a specialized goal if you have no way to track your progress? That's where the M part of the S.M.A.R.T. method comes in. Building an engaged audience is a great goal, but fulfilling it in a measurable way might be tricky. Instead, consider building an engaged audience on social media channels by increasing follower count by 50%. This is both specific and measurable.

Achievable
Now you're ready for the A—is your goal achievable? In the previous step we said that we'd like to build an engaged audience on social media by increasing follower count by 50%. While this is a noble aspiration, is it too lofty? Is the goal doable? Do you have the necessary skills and resources?

Relevant
How does the goal align with broader goals? Why is the result important?

Timely
What is the time frame for accomplishing the goal?

Saturday, January 1st, 2022

Another new year has begun, and it's a little surreal, to be honest. Since the pandemic began in 2020, life has simultaneously slowed down and sped up. But here we are, and here we go. But first, I want to take a minute to talk about something significant that happened in my life late this week. I was diagnosed with idiopathic hypersomnia (IH), a rare sleep disorder that affects an estimated 1-2 people out of every 10,000. The good news is that it is super treatable with the right treatment plan! The bad news is that it's incurable, and unlike other sleep disorders like narcolepsy, experts don't really have any idea what causes it. 

I am ambivalent in how I feel about this diagnosis. On one hand, I am relieved to finally have answers to questions I've asked about myself and my health since I was a small child. Those debilitating migraines I've had since I was eight? Probably a symptom of IH. The fainting spells I had in my early 20s? IH. The feeling of constantly being in a mental fog? IH. It could even be to blame for my ten month stint with mononucleosis when I was 18. It's like idiopathic hypersomnia was the final puzzle piece I needed to connect all my health issues to each other. It's validating, and I feel seen in a way I haven't in a long time.

On the other hand, I have reservations and anxiety. What exactly does this mean for me? Part of me is mourning because this disease is chronic and incurable. I also don't know what the right treatment plan looks like yet, and that uncertainty is a little overwhelming. I know that it will be a mixture of medication and lifestyle changes, but finding the right medicine is intimidating and being holistically healthy is hard work. But if there is one thing I am committed to, it is making this disease manageable while improving the quality of my life.

I know that this diagnosis, just like every other hardship I've faced, will highlight my resilience. I will get through this, and come out on the other side better, stronger, and ready for the next battle. Diamonds are formed under pressure and we are forged in the fire. We can do hard things, and this is just another adversity.

So what does this mean for On-Point Content Marketing? Nothing, really. Our team is still here to serve your social media and content writing needs, and will be for the future as well.