Earning your CPCU or AINS designation is no simple feat, with several courses that stand between the starting point and the finish line. Most people already know that goal-setting is a key skill in helping you finish either program, but how do you set goals that stick?

Not all goals are equally effective. In today’s post, we’ll explore how to set goals that actually work and help you get those coveted four letters after your name.

1) Identify your motivation

No matter how well-crafted a goal is, it will never stick if you don’t really care that much about what you stand to gain at the end. So before you even being to think about how to get to the finish line, start instead by identifying why you want to earn your CPCU or AINS designation and how your life will benefit.

There are certainly lots of possible reasons for wanting to complete either of these programs:

• Recognized professional designation
• Improved opportunities to promote or transfer
• Cash bonus, if offered by your employer
• Paid trip to the conferment location, if offered by your employer
• Interest in learning about insurance

In some cases, your reason for pursuing the designation may also dictate some elements of the goals you set. For example, if you want to go to a particular conferment location, your goal will have to take that timeframe into account.

Ace your AINS® & CPCU® exams with the help of our study materials!

2) Set goals & milestones using the SMART approach

You may have heard of the SMART goals approach before. It basically says that effective goals all have five key characteristics, which make up the acronym SMART:

Specific

A vague goal like “I will study diligently” is not very helpful because it’s difficult to tell if you’ve actually achieved the goal or not. What you want to set is a goal that is crystal clear in terms of what you are trying to accomplish. Think about whether you can flesh out your goal by answering who, what, where, when, why, and how if they are applicable.

For example, “I will study diligently by reading one entire chapter and doing at least two practice quizzes every single week.”

Measurable

If you did a good job setting a specific goal, it will likely be measurable too, which is another one of the key elements.

Having a measurable goal means that you can objectively tell if you did or did not achieve it. With the previous example of “I will study diligently,” that is not a measurable goal because its unclear how “diligently” is being defined. When you leave your goal that open-ended, it is easy to do less that you needed to or wanted to but still tell yourself it’s okay. Don’t give yourself that wiggle room.

Attainable

Another important characteristic of a good goal is that it is attainable. Some people make the mistake of setting a super hard goal, thinking that is a good way of pushing themselves. However, that can totally backfire because deep down you’ll know it’s impossible and it’ll be hard to find motivation to do something when you know you’ll inevitably fail at.

One way to help tell the difference between challenging and impossible is to pay attention to how you feel when you set the goal. If fear is the main emotion you feel, the goal is probably unattainable. On the other hand, a challenging goal might cause you to feel some discomfort, but you should be able to pump yourself up enough that you feel more excitement or confidence than you do discomfort.

Relevant

The goals you set should not conflict with your other life goals and circumstances in a way that is unacceptable to you. For example, will pursuing your studies the way you want to interfere with your spouse, children, or workplace in a way that you cannot manage?

This is the most subjective aspect of the five SMART characteristics because what is relevant or doable for one person might not be for another. It is important, though, to ask yourself whether the goal does fit in with you and your life. If you don’t, your goal will probably fall to the wayside when it goes head-to-head with those other important matters.

Time bound

If you don’t set a deadline for your goal, it’s way too easy to put it off indefinitely. Having an end date also makes it easier to determine where you should be a different points along the way, so you can set smaller goals and checkpoints more easily.

Ace your AINS® & CPCU® exams with the help of our study materials!

3) Think about your obstacles now and develop a plan for working around them

Goals can easily get derailed if you encounter an obstacle and don’t have a good plan for circumventing them.

If, for example, you worry that you’ll be busy, schedule in time blocks for studying directly into your calendar now as if they are standing appointment and don’t commit to activities that will overlap with those times. Or, if you think your family might be too big a distraction, plan to study on your lunch break at work when you are away from them or at times when they have their own activities going.

4) Share the goals you’ve set with others

When you tell others about your goals, you add an element of accountability that wouldn’t be there if you kept your goals to yourself. For many people, failing yourself is a downer but failing other people’s expectations is even scarier and can be a very good motivator to stay on track.

Now that you know how to set solid goals, be sure to check out our other post on how to create a study plan to turn your goals into an actionable plan.

Ace your AINS® & CPCU® exams with the help of our study materials!