Be SMART About Goals
Happy New Year!
We all know that with the new year comes resolutions. If you are that person - cool! Let’s talk about goal setting for the weeks to come! If new year resolutions are not your vibe, also cool! Honor your feeling around the new year and take care of yourself doing what feels right for you. Either way, this post will outline a helpful way of setting goals in the new year - or any time of year for that matter!
When resolutions are set responsibly and realistically they can help structure your year so you attain the things you want to achieve. Goals are great to have and though they can be set and paused and restarted throughout the year, the start of a fresh year is a great excuse to begin a new (or old!) goal. It is important to be smart about how to reach goals. Smart as in S.M.A.R.T- a popular acronym that helps break goals into more manageable and achievable milestones. In this post we will look into what a S.M.A.R.T. goal is and why each step of the way is important.
S is for setting Specific Goals
Sometimes we can be over zealous with what we want to achieve. Though it is great to be ambitious, having a broad sense of a goal may make things harder to achieve. By breaking things into smaller more specific goals, you are more able to focus your attention on one thing making it more likely to achieve. For example, a goal of “I want to be a pop-star” is a very broad goal. By breaking it into smaller goals, like “I want to write a song” and “I want to get a gig” not only are you able to reach more goals, but your quest towards the final desired endpoint becomes more realistic.
M is for setting Measurable Goals
We like to see progress, evidence that what we are doing is leading us in the right track. Making a goal that is measurable allows you to see how far you have come from the start. If your goal is to become better in pottery, you can make it a measurable goal by saying “I want to be able to make 5 cups a day” or “I want to make a vase that is ten inches tall.” Having a number that you can track and see grow allows for more satisfaction along the way of achieving these goals.
A is for Attainable Goals
It is important to set goals that are within reach. Like specific goals, it is nice to dream big, but in order to make those dreams achievable you likely have to break the dream into smaller goals along the way. It would be near impossible to achieve the goal: “By the end of this year I want to own Disney World.” But if it is a long term goal of yours you could start by getting a job at Disney and eventually over many years, work your way up (Bob Iger started somewhere). This sets you up for success, as the second goal is more attainable than the first.
R is for Realistic Goals
You have to be honest with yourself. Is the goal something that you can do? If you want to be able to do a triple axel but have never stepped foot on ice, is it even something you really want to do? Examine the goal you set forth, is it a fair thing to ask yourself? If you try something that is so far out of the realm of realistic possibilities, you may end up hurting yourself -in the case of ice skating, physically, but in many cases, mentally as you will likely interpret it as a failure. Set yourself up for success!
T is for Goals with Time Frames
During the New Year, most people set their resolutions to be accomplished within the year, but goals can have any time frame you want. The important part about picking a time frame is making sure you can reasonably accomplish your goal within that time frame. By having a clear cut time frame, it allows you to track your progress, and as you know- we like to see progress!
Now that you know what a SMART goal entails, you can set some SMART goals for the New Year. You can keep them personal or share them with others, but the important thing is that they are specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and can be accomplished in the time frame you set forth. Happy New Year!
