SMART Goals

How many times have you set a goal for yourself and not been able to follow through? Sometimes we as humans put a lot of pressure on ourselves and expect that we can do something in an unrealistic amount of time. The SMART goals guidelines help us to set goals that end up being more realistic, and more thought out, and in turn help us to be able to meet these goals. SMART is an acronym for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Timely. Using these as guidelines can make our goals easier to reach. Not easy, but easier.

Let’s come up with an example goal. I will choose something that I would like to incorporate into my life. I would like to do Yoga more often. There have been times in my life when I was able to get to this goal, and I felt so much more in touch with myself, and easier in my body. Right now, the idea of a daily yoga practice is a big ask since I am only doing it at most once monthly.

One reason people’s goals fail is because they set a goal without forethought. They set a goal that might be attainable for their “ideal self,” but who is already functioning on the level of their ideal self? So, when they make a mistake, or fall off track, this creates room for them to get down on themselves and leads to thinking a bunch of negative thoughts about themselves.

How can we make my example goal a SMART goal?

I want to practice Yoga daily. The first step of a SMART goal is Specific. For this example, I would say we are already on the right path but there are some things that could be tweaked to make it more accessible.

The next step is Measurable. Something being measurable is important so that you know when you have reached a goal and can then celebrate it. Let’s say my goal is to save money. That is pretty vague right? Do I want to save $10, $10, $10000, or $10 per paycheck? Measurable goals make them easier to reach because they can be visualized. For the yoga example to make this measurable I would say I want to start working toward my goal by doing yoga for 30 minutes 3 times a week. That is measurable, and it is easy to gauge when I am on track, vs when I am not.

Achievable. Our goal needs to be in the realm of possibility. Let’s say my goal was to become a famous Cello player in the next year. Well, first off, I do not know how to play any instrument, let alone one as big as the Cello. This is not very achievable for me. Or I want to be an astronaut. While there is not a strict age limit, I am well beyond the average age, nor do I have any of the required skills to become one. This is not an achievable goal. What would make the yoga example become achievable? I would need to make sure I have space to do yoga at home if that is where I want to practice. If I want to go to a studio I need to see how much the cost is. These are small things to consider when deciding if something is achievable, however they help us in reaching these goals.

Relevant is the next part of a SMART goal, and it ties in nicely with achievable but looks at something from a different perspective. Let’s say I Hate yoga, if that were the case then a goal to do yoga daily would not make sense. Are you setting goals that align with who you are as a person, and do you enjoy the things you are wanting to work towards? That keeps things relevant.

Lastly, we have Timely. The importance is in this element is that it gives a sense of urgency, or at least a deadline. There are not many people in the world that don’t need deadlines. When you can look at your goals from these different angles it is easy to see what a realistic timeline would look like.

What is the difference between a goal versus a SMART goal?

I want to do yoga more. Versus, I want to work up to doing yoga daily in a year, I will start yoga at home three times a week for 30 minutes and build another day each month. See the difference? It even feels different in reading it. One is vague and just an idea, the other is a thought-out plan of action. It is that call to action that gets us moving.

Now, you come up with a SMART goal for yourself. You can do it!