How to set SMART goals.
The New Year is an opportune time to set new goals with a renewed sense of motivation and fresh insight on how to move forward. You may also use this opportunity to set new objectives for how you will accomplish your goals.
This phase can be both exhilarating and motivating, as it provides a revived sense of purpose and direction. Whilst setting a challenging goal can be inspiring, from a personal fulfilment perspective, it is essential to carefully consider your available resources and time constraints to assess if you can achieve it. You need to strike a balance between the level of difficulty of the goal and the available resources.
As a person who balances various roles in my life that supports my family, friends, clients, and community - setting achievable personal goals is of paramount significance to my growth which aligns with the importance I place on continuous improvement.
Furthermore, I always know my 'why'. A common mistake people make when goal setting is not assessing why they want that goal in the first place, what they get from it and why it is important to them. Applying my tips will give you clarity and let you examine your motivations too.
So, to help me practice what I preach, I use the (SMART) framework below to set goals that I can accomplish. This framework can help you establish goals that are realistic and achievable, while also providing a clear sense of direction.
Tip #1 – Set a SPECIFIC goal.
Ensure that the goal you set is SPECIFIC and stated in the positive.
To effectively set a goal you must answer the six ‘W’ questions.
1. Who – Who is involved to help achieve your goal?
2. What – What do I want to achieve?
3. Where – Identify a location if applicable.
4. When – Establish a deadline.
5. Which – Determine which requirements and restrictions will impact your goal.
6. Why - Have a specific reason the goal is important to you using a Push/Pull pattern.
Tip #2 – Examining the “Why” of your goal.
Delve into a deep dive exercise to examine your why. Use the Push/Pull motivational pattern of why we invariably pursue a goal - which boils down to two reasons.
1. First, is your desire to attain a certain result.
2. Second, is you trying to avoid an unwanted result or outcome.
The psychology behind the Push/Pull motivational pattern is key to reviewing your reasons for achieving a goal. These reasons are like the opposite sides of the same coin. Referred to as positive and negative reasons why we do things.
Push: Reacting to external factors trying to run away from a result.
Pull: When you want an outcome or result for yourself.
I will give you an example, after a year of illness, I had gained weight. So, I had two motives to lose weight.
Push: To avoid unsavoury remarks from others about my weight gain as my reason for losing the weight
Pull: I want to be healthier and experience more energy and agility for myself.
So, I decided that I wanted to become healthier to feel more energetic and agile despite external remarks of my weight gain. The result of choosing either motive will be the same. The difference is that I wanted to make the change for myself as opposed to succumbing to the pressure of other’s remarks. So, determine if you are moving towards your goal for yourself or to appease others.
Tip #3 – Make sure it is MEASURABLE.
What will the evidence be for measuring progress towards accomplishing your goal? You are more likely to stay on track when you can measure your progress. Obtain tools like a habit Tracker chart or download an app. Most importantly stay focused on your goal and the commitment to achieving it.
Tip #4 - Attainable.
Breaking larger goals into smaller, more manageable tasks can also be helpful, as it allows you to see progress and maintain motivation. Ensure that this is within your reach in a specific period.
Tip #5 - Relevant
Make sure that your goal aligns with what you value and is part of your long-term plans for your future.
Tip #6 - Time-bound
There needs to be a sense of urgency for your goal. So, setting it with a specific time limit will give more motivation to accomplish it. So, if you want to get a work promotion for instance, when do you want to have it? By January next year is time bound and more motivating than saying” I want a promotion one day.”
Tip #7 – Sustainability
Know what you place importance on as these are the things you value. If you do not know what your values are, I would recommend that you do a ‘Values Elicitation” as now is a suitable time to know them. When you set goals in alignment to your “values” you are more likely to experience fulfilment after accomplishing your goal.
Lastly, making use of the SMART framework and knowing that there are two rationale patterns to accomplishing your goals can go a long way to helping you succeed. This is important when you are managing your life at close to full capacity, as you only want to do what will bring you contentment within resources and time availability.
Learn to assess what you get by pursuing your goal and why this is important to you.
Try this deep dive out for yourself and let me know how well you have gone in understanding the goals you have set for yourself at info@luminosityguardians.com.au.
Written by Michelle Richmond