Are you a goal setter? If not, you should be! Did you know that people who set goals are 10 times more likely to be successful than those who don’t? That statistic alone should be enough to motivate you! Setting goals for yourself truly has the power to change your life, but with it comes the potential for incredible disappoint. ‘Failing’ at a goal you’ve set can be so disheartening, but by using these steps and setting SMART goals, achieving all your goals is so possible!
Specific. Be specific! This is probably the most important step. If your goals aren’t specific, how will you know when you reached them? An example of this would be ‘I want to lose weight’ vs ‘I want to lose 15 lbs.’
Measurable. Your goals need to be measurable, meaning you need to be able to accurately measure success. Using the example from above, a goal of losing 15 lbs. is easily measurable. All you need is a scale!
Actionable. You need to be able to take action on your goals. What is your game plan? How will you achieve it? Do you have the resources and capabilities you need to achieve it? If not, what are you lacking? If after this step you find your goal(s) to be too large, you should break it down into manageable actionable subgoals you can achieve.
Relevant. One of the reasons we fail to achieve our goals is because we bite off more than we can chew and set too many at one time. This can be challenging because there can be many areas of our lives that we want to work on, but too many goals will lead to burn out and loss of motivation. This step will help you pick which one(s) you should focus on first. Which is most relevant to you now? Throughout the many seasons of life, there are times when different goals will be more relevant. If one of your goals is to have a garden, that may not be relevant now in the middle of winter. It would make more sense to put it on hold until the spring.
Time-Bound. Put a time frame on your goals. For example, I want to lose 10 lbs. in 3 months. Then you can break it down weekly, which would be about a pound a week. Putting a time frame on your goals not only makes them feel more achievable and less daunting, but it will help you stay motivated.
When we set goals we create the future in advance. Life is too short to not accomplish all you desire! If you use these 5 steps and plan SMART goals, 2019 can be greater than you imagined! Get some paper, a pen, and get going! Happy goal setting!