How to Set Goals You'll Actually Accomplish
This is another blog post inside my What They Don't Teach You in School Series!
I want to show you how to set goals that you'll actually accomplish. I'm pretty sure we've all been taught the "SMART" goal setting technique. And if you're anything like me, you think SMART goals are boring.
For a long time I tried forcing myself to set SMART goals... but they never worked for me! At first, I thought there was something wrong with me - why did everyone else love this format but I always screwed it up? But then I realized it wasn't me. It was the goal criteria. SMART goals are just not exciting. And if you're not excited about your goals, how do you expect yourself to achieve them?
Let's come up with our own definition of SMART goals, shall we?
SMART Goals: The Remix
Okay, ready to finally set goals you're actually going to accomplish? Let's do this!
S is for Specific Sexy, Simple, and See Yourself
In the original, S stands for specific, which is actually not a bad start. The more specific you can make your goals, the easier it is to track your progress and determine if you accomplished it or not. But let's see if we can make our definition a little more exciting. In the remix, S can stand for sexy, simple, or see yourself. A sexy goal is one that we can actually get excited about accomplishing!! There's some motivation there! Choosing a simple goal is really the fastest way to speed up your results. We overcomplicate things too much. If you're not making progress on a goal, ask yourself if it's simple enough for a five year old to understand it. Lastly, when you're setting this goal, I want you to see yourself achieving it. What exactly does that picture look like?
M is for Measurable Motivating, Meaningful, and Magical
In the original, M stands for measurable. And while it's important to have an idea how you plan to measure your success, this usually isn't the component that gets people inspired. In our definition, M stands for motivating, meaningful, and magical. First, let's choose a goal that's motivating! If you choose a goal that feels too far away, you might start to doubt yourself or feel defeated. Find a balance so your goal means you made enough progress to feel motivated to keep going! Next, your goal should be meaningful to you personally. Don't just set a goal because everyone you know is working on the same thing. Decide on a goal that matters to you and you alone. Lastly, make it magical! What kind of results would completely blow you away? Think back to when you were a kid and wanted to be a doctor, astronaut, and a ballerina all in the same day. How can you bring the same magic back to your goal setting?
A is for Attainable Applicable and Area of Life
In the original, A stands for attainable. I think we can do better. Our A is going to stand for Applicable, Area of Life, and Achievable. We want to make sure our goal is applicable to the results we're looking for. Most importantly, we want our goal to relate to a specific area of our life. This will help us narrow down our efforts and make it easier to track results.
R is for Realistic Relevant and Rewarding
This is my least favorite part about the original smart goals. Realistic? Why do we always encourage people to limit themselves! This is going to sound cheesy... but you can LITERALLY do anything you want to do. You just first have to decide to make it happen. Then you have to believe you can make it happen. That's it. You don't need to strive for a "realistic" life if you want more than that. We definitely want our goal to be relevant; it needs to be related to what we're focusing on and appropriate for where we're currently at. We also want our goal to be rewarding. Are you choosing goals that are going to be really satisfying to accomplish? If you're not... I'm guessing you're not really excited to achieve your goals.
T is for Time Bound Transformative
In the original, T stands for time-bound. I actually agree with this one. It's really important to set a timeline for yourself to stay on target. The problem that most people run into is thinking they've failed if they haven't accomplished the goal by the end of the timeline. Sometimes timelines need to be adjusted. Being flexible with your timeline is just as important as having one in the first place. More importantly, is your goal transformative? Does this one goal have the power to completely change one area of your life with one new simple habit or practice? If not, is there a way to make it more transformative?
Putting it All Together
When you've outlined these elements, I want you to try putting it all together. You're going to pick a date and time in the future where you achieved your goal.
- On this date and time, what do you see?
- What do you feel?
- What do you hear?
- How do you know you achieved your goal?
- How did you achieve it?
- What resources did you use to get it done?
Write all of this out in a script in PRESENT TENSE to trick your brain into thinking it already happened! The more emotion and excitement you can add, the better!
The Format of Your Goal
It is now _______ and I have/am _____. I know this because I see _____. I hear _____. I feel _____. And I achieved this because I ______.
Example Goal
It is now July 13, 2022 at 2:00pm and I just got my scores from the June SAT test. I scored a 1450 - I can't believe it! I know this because I am looking at the score report in my College Board account and am taking a screenshot of my results! I hear the congratulations from my parents, and I hear all the incoming snapchats from my friends that are so excited for me. My mom just told me we're going out to dinner at my favorite restaurant to celebrate! I feel so accomplished, so happy, and honestly so relieved! I achieved this because I am extremely intelligent and motivated, and because I worked really hard on creating a testing strategy that worked for me.
Do you notice the new SMART in here? How amazing does this sound!?!
If You Want to Learn More About Goal Setting... Check Out The Student Success Membership!
This summer I'm offering live monthly trainings to help you accomplish your goals so you can be the most successful version of yourself!
On May 10, we had our first live training, "How to Make it a Successful Summer." You can catch the recording inside the membership portal.
Or, join us in time for the June 21st training, "Summer Glow Up" and create the mindset, habits, and routine to be the most successful version of you!
Plus, new content is being added to the membership all the time!
