Summary
As you set your goals, it’s essential to keep them SMART: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Timely. Of these elements, I believe the most important may be the fourth: Realistic. There are two sides to being realistic; one side says set something that you know you can achieve, but the flip-side is to set something challenging. The fact is that success comes from doing both. Set a goal that is achievable but asks you to do more than you think you can. Because if you think you can, you will. So if you set a low goal and achieve it easily, then you aren’t motivating yourself; by setting a low goal, you are accepting less than your true capabilities. We do this every day. We have been taught and conditioned to think that it is enough—or more important- to reach the goal than to set an audacious goal that asks us to step out of our comfort zone and ask more of ourselves.
A goal properly set is halfway reached.
Zig Ziglar
A good goal is like a strenuous exercise—it makes you stretch.
Mary Kay Ash
As you set your goals, it’s essential to keep them SMART: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Timely. Of these elements, I believe the most important may be the fourth: Realistic. There are two sides to being realistic: one side suggests setting something that you know you can achieve, but the flip side is to set something challenging. The fact is that success comes from doing both.
Set a goal that is achievable but asks you to do more than you think you can. Because if you think you can, you will. So if you set a low goal and achieve it easily, then you aren’t motivating yourself; by setting a low goal, you are accepting less than your true capabilities. We do this every day. We have been taught and conditioned to think that it is enough—or more important- to reach the goal than to set an audacious goal that asks us to step out of our comfort zone and ask more of ourselves.
Goals that Stretch but Don’t Break
If we set a goal that asks more of us and we miss it—either it takes longer than what we wanted or we don’t achieve the full scope of the goal—then we believe that we’ve “failed.” I know from personal experience. I once set a goal of securing two promotions within three years and achieving a 25% salary increase to accompany those promotions. When I hadn’t completed my goal, I began looking for another place to work. Ultimately, I achieved the goal … in four years. But I left the company because I wasn’t advancing as fast as my (self-set) goal line said I should … talk about missing the big picture!
Speaking of unrealistic goals: How many times have you made a New Year’s resolution only to give it up a few days or weeks later? The majority of people make—and quickly break—resolutions. For many people, resolving isn’t something they even do anymore because “they know they won’t stick to it.” Then there are those people who make a resolution and keep it. They resolve to get fit and lose weight … and they do. They resolve to get a better job and make more money … and they do. Whatever they set their mind to, they do. Why them and not you?
Goal Achievement Requires Focus
Ultimately, it comes down to determination and focus: These people know what they want and they go for it. They persevere past obstacles, delays, and life’s challenges.
One of the underlying factors for the “successful resolutions” is that these achievers don’t just say, “I will lose weight and get healthy.” They say I will lose 30 pounds [something measurable] by my high school class reunion [something timely]. I am going to go to the gym three times a week [a specific goal] and do cardio and weight training at each visit [achievable and realistic].” Or they will say, “I am going to join Weight Watchers and follow that plan for life! I will know I am getting healthy and losing weight because I will track my weight each week, record what I eat, and keep track of my blood pressure and blood panel results. I will reach my goal weight, have a blood pressure not higher than 100/70, and all my bloodwork will be in the normal ranges.”
Successful “resolvers” know what they want to achieve, how much, by when, how to measure to see their results, and how to track results to determine what is and isn’t working. They have a specific goal and the outline of a plan to achieve it. They have performance metrics that relate to outcomes and are focused on results … not just the activity.
Summary
So if you want to set a goal and achieve it:
- Make it meaningful to you.
- Set a goal that motivates you to stretch and reach outside your comfort zone.
- Make the goal a SMART goal.
- Be audacious in going for what you want.
- Set outcome-based, not activity-based, goals. FOCUS on the RESULT you want, not the activities that will be needed to get there.
- Break it down into smaller, manageable yet challenging goals.
- Track the results.
- Make a plan to get the result.
- Identify the activities and resources you will need to pursue the goals.
- Turn obstacles into opportunities by making them into sub-goals to be achieved.
Here are some examples of generic goals versus SMART goals:
| Generic Goal | SMART Goal |
| I want a lot of money. | I aim to earn $1 million within the next five years by launching my own business, which will provide services to small businesses. |
| I want to write a book. | I want to publish my first book for teenagers on success by December 31, 2017. |
| I want to lose weight. | I want to lose 30 pounds and wear a size 12 by June 30, 2017. I will do so by walking 15 miles a week and attending two weight training classes per week. |
The Goal Post
Have a plan. Follow the plan, and you’ll be surprised how successful you can be. Most people don’t have a plan. That’s why it’s easy to beat most folks.
Paul “Bear” Bryant
Destiny is not a matter of chance; but a matter of choice. It is not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved.
William Jennings Bryan
You got to be careful if you don’t know where you’re going, because you might not get there.
Yogi Berra
I am not a football enthusiast, but I do admire that the sport has clear objectives: to win by scoring. You know where you are going (the end zone/goal posts) and that any given play may get you all the way or part of the way to scoring. Furthermore, you know that regardless of the obstacles (other players, fumbles, etc.), you have the opportunity to decide on a strategy, make a play, and adapt your tactics based upon the results … and you get more than one chance to make things happen.
So let’s think of goal setting from the standpoint of an end zone where we focus on accomplishing our goals for the play, the game, and the season (our lives).
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