Goal setting is the most important thing when it comes to accomplishing any task, job or aspiration.
It’s very difficult to work to achieve anything, when you haven’t really defined exactly where you are going.
Nondescript goals like “I want to lose weight”, or “I want to read more” tend to cause more frustration during your journey, than they do guidance. This is because your success in this goal is largely up to your own opinion, and most people’s opinion of themselves is harsh and critical.
Let me give you an example…
January 1st: you set a goal of “losing weight”, you weigh in at 224LBS and you take your progress photos. As you look at these progress photos, you’re probably thinking that “losing weight” means losing ALL of this extra weight you’re seeing.
January 31st: you weigh in at 216LBS, take your progress photos and as you look at them you still feel and see extra weight on your body. Though you have technically accomplished your goal of losing weight, you’re probably feeling a little demoralized to realize that all of your work amounted to you still feeling disappointed in yourself.
This type of goal-setting is more likely to cause you to give up than to keep going, and you can probably see why.
But what happens when we set a proper goal…
January 1st: you set a goal of “losing 24LBS in the next 3 months”, you weigh in at 224LBS and you take your progress photos. As you look at these progress photos, you already know that you’re only losing 24LBS of this weight, probably not all of it.
January 31st: you weigh in at 216LBS, take your progress photos and as you look at them you still feel and see extra weight on your body, but you know you’ve lost 8LBS already and are on track to meet your goal of 24LBS lost by the end of March. You feel this as a victory, not a failure, and you’re excited to continue your journey because your hard work is obviously paying off, and the way you set your goal lets you feel that!
Some people avoid the specificity in a goal because they don’t want to feel committed, but whether you set a SMART Goal or not you are making that commitment.
The SMART Goals are simply a tool to help make your journey more direct, workable and digestible as you go through the necessary struggles to achieve!
Set up an appointment with a coach for help defining your own personal SMART Goals!
So, let’s go into a little more detail about what characteristics SMART Goals have:
- SMART goals are Specific
This means that instead of setting a goal of “building muscle this year”, you set a goal of “building 4lbs of lean muscle mass by your birthday”. This gives you something more definitive to work towards and allows you to more easily create your path towards achievement.
- SMART goals are Measurable
Again, using the example above: “building muscle” could mean anything and who knows when you’ve built enough muscle to satisfy that goal (probably never). “Building 4lbs of muscle by your birthday” however, is a definitive goal that you will know without a doubt when you’ve reached.
- SMART goals are Attainable
An attainable goal is simply a realistic one. While it is great to have big dreams, you often need to set goals for smaller accomplishments to get you there-it gives you little wins that will motivate you to do more. So set goals for things you know you can achieve realistically.
- SMART goals are Relevant
A relevant goal is one that has meaning to you, such as trying to lose body fat to reverse your diabetes versus trying to lose body fat because someone else said you should. This ensures that you’re working towards a goal that is motivating to you.
- SMART goals are Time-Based
Time-based goals are ones in which you’ve put a specific time limit on, such as using the 10 weeks before your birthday to add muscle mass. This helps create a sense of urgency to achieve your goal and helps laying out some groundwork for the planning.
The goal is simply to set a good goal that is direct in what and how to achieve it, and realistic in the expectations.
It’s a simple but commonly overlooked concept!
You can achieve anything you want to: you just have to put in the effort and care for yourself and your goals! Be realistic with what you can accomplish and what it will take from you to do that, and create a plan that will walk you step by step towards that goal.
You’ve got this-I believe in you!
This mini-article was written by Elexis Smolak CPT, CNC, founder of Adapted Fitness and Master Trainer. Learn more or schedule a virtual coffee at AdaptedToYou.com