Making Your Goals “SMART”
Here’s what I teach every one of my clients, and why they meet their goals.
Leverage the power of your mind.
Meet your goals GENTLY.
When we want to achieve something, often what is in our mind is the outcome and not the process of getting there. The outcome could be losing weight, sleeping better, writing a book, or decluttering your living space.
How do we get there? The first step is to create a vision.
Ask yourself, if you could dream big without anything holding you back, what would that look like for you? How do you see yourself? What support systems do you have in place to achieve your vision?
Get up and do your thing. Life is short.
Is it a friend, family member, or significant other? Do you have an environment conducive to accomplishing what you want? Or, do you have to create that environment or seek it? How would you overcome challenges that could potentially sideline your progress?
Write down your vision so you can see it on paper.
Seeing what you write down can help to reinforce your commitment.
In order to achieve your vision and make it a reality, small actionable steps have to happen, which is a part of the process. This is where SMART goals come in.
S-M-A-R-T is an acronym that stands for specific, measurable, actionable, realistic and time bound.
Specific
Goals must state what is specifically going to get done and cannot be vague. For example, instead of saying I want to do more strength training, set a specific goal that states: “I will strength train three times per week, for 30 minutes per session with my cousin Jean.”
Measurable
How will you measure what you do to evaluate your progress? Is it the number of minutes spent, days per week, how well your clothing fits or your body composition?
Actionable
What specific actions and behaviors will you engage in to increase your levels of success? Is it walking or strength training? Going to bed earlier? Is it decluttering one drawer in your living space?
Realistic
A goal should be attainable to increase the chances of success. For example, if it has been 3 years since you have been exercising regularly, walking 6 days per week for 1 hour a day would not be advisable and could increase the risk of injury. Perhaps starting with fewer sessions per week for a shorter time is more realistic. In this case, a more realistic amount would be to walk three days per week for 30 minutes per session on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays during your lunch hour.
Time-Bound
What are the specific timelines for completion? Timelines can be short-term and long-term to help keep you on track. For example:
Here’s an example of a not-so-smart goal.
Not a SMART goal: “I will stretch.”
A SMART goal: “I will stretch for ten minutes every Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday Evening at 8:30 pm before bed.”
So here’s the deal.
The bottom line is using the S-M-A-R-T approach to achieving your goals can be a helpful way to take small, specific, actionable, and realistic steps to reach your vision and can be applied to many aspects of your life.
Give it a try and carve out your path to success!
Need help?