I have been getting several responses from you guys for some assistance with developing your S.M.A.R.T. goals. But don’t worry, that’s why I’m here. Before we go any further, if you haven’t downloaded any of the S.M.A.R.T. Goals guides on millionairetalk.com. What are you doing? This is a perfect time for you to get them in front of you and follow along. I am going to use Nick Kolbs Annual S.M.A.R.T. Goals Planner as an example. Remember, we are here to help each other out. Here it is.
Now, as I have already advised Nick, none of these are S.M.A.R.T. Goals. Just a brief reminder, S.M.A.R.T. is an acronym for the attributes your goals must possess.
- Specific
- Measurable
- Attainable
- Realistic
- Timebound
For Nick, we will only be focusing on one of his goals that I believe everyone could benefit from and might have on their list. Eating Healthier.
Let’s start with the SPECIFIC attribute for the statement: Eat Healthier. We need this to be more specific because how do we know if you are eating healthier? This goal lacks the specificity to measure success. Let’s break it down a bit. You want to eat healthier because of the results it would bring. You would have more energy, look thinner, be more confident, etc. Now that you have identified that your unhealthy eating habits have caused you to gain weight and are now 200 lbs. You want to lose let’s say 30 lbs. You believe that you can do so by eating healthy. Now we are getting a bit more specific. Let us put a deadline on it. You might want to look good for a wedding or bikini season. Let us say we want to lose 30 lbs. by February 15th for your sister’s wedding. You now can measure success by tracking your weight and having a deadline in which to do so. There should be no confusion as to what you need to focus on to accomplish this goal.
MEASURABLE is a by product of being specific. Eat Healthier did not give you a measurement of success. However, with the S.M.A.R.T. Goal of Lose 30 lbs. by February 15th, you can tell yourself on February 15th whether you have successfully completed this or not.
ATTAINABLE is also something that you must consider at the specific stage. This attribute identifies whether you feel you can accomplish this goal or not. If you have injured yourself and can’t exercise for 2 months and the wedding is in a month. It could be challenging for you to develop an action plan that will allow you to execute losing 30 lbs. in that time frame considering your circumstances. That may sound like an extreme case but not every goal is starting from an ideal situation.
REALISTIC is another form of attainable. Is it realistic for you to lose 30 lbs. if you do not know where to begin? Can you learn what works for you in 2 months? Losing weight is a tricky goal because it is strongly predicated on your knowledge of exercise, diet and nutrition. Without the proper guidance, you may be spinning your wheels and not even know it. Another example could be, Nick wants to complete an Iron Man but he does not know how to swim or float. Therein lies a fundamental problem that must be addressed before you can set yourself up for success to complete the goal. Furthermore, if he wants to complete an Iron Man, he may want to set a S.M.A.R.T. Goal of learning how to swim before the Iron Man.
TIMEBOUND is an easy one. Give yourself a deadline with a time and date so that you can hold yourself accountable. If you don’t have a deadline then there is no sense of urgency and you are not pushing yourself outside of your normal day to complete anything.
So there you have it ladies and gentlemen. I apologize if it was a bit longwinded, but I hope you were able to walk away from this article with valuable information to use while setting your S.M.A.R.T. Goals.
I want to thank Nick Kolb for allowing us to use his sheet as an example. If any of you need any assistance, let me know and we can work with you.
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