It’s a new year, and you know what that means… let’s set some poker goals.

And I’m not talking resolutions.  As a popular blog once said, “Resolutions are for chumps.  I choose Revolution.”  Let’s make real changes in our lives.  We want to do things we never thought possible, make giant strides we thought were beyond us, and achieve like no other.  Let’s start our own personal revolutions.

In case you missed it, in episode 1 I showed you how to get the most from free poker strategy content online and I give you a killer list of free content creators you can learn from.

Poker Goals, Podcast #2

Podcast Mission

At the end of this podcast you will be able to create SMART poker goals for yourself, learn some insights into steps you can take to help achieve your goals, and you’ll have a new accountability partner to help you along the way.

Why do you play poker?

Your answer to this question will inform the SMART poker goals you set for yourself.  The goals of an aspiring poker pro are going to be different from those of a weekend warrior.

SMART Goals

A SMART goal is one that is defined as specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound.  Using this criteria, you'll create goals that you're more motivated and more likely to achieve.

• SPECIFIC
  • Goals need to be specific, detailing exactly what you intend to accomplish
• MEASURABLE
  • If you can’t measure them, how do you know you’ve achieved anything?
• ACHIEVABLE
  • Goals must be achievable and not impossible; you should feel stretched and challenged by the goal, but it can’t be so obviously out of reach that you were doomed from the start
• RELEVANT
  • Your goal needs to matter to you. Goals that fit in with your overall aim in poker are more likely to be hit and to be supported by those around you.
• TIME-BOUND
  • We all know that any task expands to fit the time allotted to it, so a goal without an end date could take years to attain.  Deadlines add a sense of urgency.

Goal Achieving Insights

These are additional steps you can take to increase the chances that you accomplish your goals.

1. Break It Up – Taking a big goal and breaking it up overtime into manageable pieces makes the goal seem easier to accomplish.
2. Map Out What Needs to Happen – You need to know what to leaks to fix and what skills you'll need to acquire in order to achieve your goal.  Make an honest assessment of your current game.  All of your study should be geared towards fixing these leaks or adding new skills to your repertoire.
3. Get Others Involved – Don't tackle it alone!  Do you need to enlist the aid of a poker coach or a study group?  Gather a group and help each other achieve.
4. Accountability – Tell others about your poker goals, preferably people who will hold you to the fire.  Even better if you'll feel like you let them down if you don't succeed.  And, public displays like putting it on Facebook are great as well.
5. Periodic Assessment – Assess your progress as you go.  Are you likely to achieve success?  Make changes or work harder as necessary.

Podcast Challenge

Here’s my challenge to you for this episode: Email me one of your SMART poker goals (remember, make it Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-bound) and I will be happy to be one of your accountability partners.  I will mention your name and your goal in an upcoming podcast, and we can all follow along in your pursuit with periodic updates.  I’ll email you occasionally to discuss your progress, and I may even have one or more of you on the podcast with me to discuss your achievement and how you did it.  I will mention you by name, but if you’d like an alias or screen name, just let me know.  Oh, actually, let’s do this.  I’ll use your real name, poker site screen name, or a super hero name of your choice.  Just let me know which you’d prefer.  My email is Sky@SmartPokerStudy.com.  Now it’s your turn to take action and do something positive for yourself.