Today, by popular demand, not really, I’m breaking down SMART goals and I’m gonna give you my method of goal setting that helped me quit a 30-year smoking habit in 3 weeks, so grab your handy dandy notebook, because we are deep diving today
When it comes to achieving personal and professional success, setting goals is essential. But it’s not just about setting any goal, it’s about setting goals that are specific to our needs. By doing so, we can increase our chances of success and make real progress in our lives.
Most of us have been told since childhood that setting goals is important, however, surveys show that 83% of people don’t have any goals at all. Just like 93% of you who watch my youtube videos aren’t subscribed. Crazy huh? Sure we all daydream that someday we will have this or that, do this or that, become this or that, you get the idea. But most of us do the same thing day after day, run around in circles chasing the shiny and get nowhere fast.
So, why do people struggle so much with setting goals? One common challenge is a lack of clarity. We might set a goal that’s too vague or too broad, making it hard to stay focused and motivated. For instance, saying “I want to be healthier” is a great start, but it’s not specific enough. What does “healthier” mean? Do we want to lose weight, exercise more, or eat better? Without clarity, we’re setting ourselves up for failure.
Another challenge is a lack of motivation. We might set a goal, but if it’s not meaningful or exciting enough, we’ll quickly lose interest. Think about it, if our goals don’t align with our values or passions, why would we bother putting in the effort? It’s like trying to force ourselves to read a book that we’re not interested in. We need to find a way to make our goals appealing and rewarding. One of my goals is to get to 50 subs and hold a pizza party live. Pizza is always a motivation for me!
Sometimes, we set goals that are just unrealistic. We might want to achieve something in an unrealistically short amount of time, or we might not have the necessary resources or skills. This can lead to frustration and disappointment. For example, saying “I want to learn how to play the piano in a week” is just not possible, unless we’re a prodigy. We need to be honest with ourselves about what we can achieve given our current situation.
we often forget to track our progress or stay accountable. We might set a goal, but if we don’t have a system in place to monitor our progress, we’ll easily fall off track. It’s like trying to navigate a road trip without a map or GPS. We need to find ways to stay on course and make adjustments along the way.
Setting in goals is often the first step we take when we start to work on reframing our mindset.
So what makes a goal SMART? Let’s break it down.
The “S” stands for Specific. Our goals need to be clear and well-defined, leaving no room for misinterpretation. Instead of saying “I want to be healthier,” we could say “I want to lose 10 pounds in the next 3 months.” See the difference? It’s much more specific and focused.
The “M” stands for Measurable. We need to be able to track our progress and measure our success. Using our previous example, we could measure our progress by weighing ourselves weekly and tracking our food intake. This way, we’ll know exactly how we’re doing and make adjustments accordingly.
The “A” stands for Achievable. Our goals need to be realistic and attainable based on our current situation. Instead of saying “I want to run a marathon next week,” we could say “I want to run a 5K in the next 3 months.” It’s still a challenging goal, but it’s much more achievable given our current fitness level.
The “R” stands for Relevant. Our goals need to align with our values, needs, and priorities. For instance, if we want to start a business, but our main priority is to spend more time with our family, then maybe our goal should be to start a business that allows us to work from home or have a flexible schedule.
The “T” stands for Time-bound. Our goals need to have a specific deadline or timeframe. This creates a sense of urgency and focus. Instead of saying “I want to learn how to play the guitar someday,” we could say “I want to learn how to play the guitar in the next 6 months.”
I have never been a fan of the acronym SMART, it’s too corporate and not easy for everyone to remember. So I came up with the w question method a few years ago and have been using it for myself and my clients ever since
Who are you doing this for? If it’s not for you, it’s not gonna work, so pitch it and move on
What is the goal?
When do you want to achieve it by? I always recommend 3 months and check in to extend or change as needed
Where does this fit into your long-term goals?
Why? Why are you doing this? What’s your motivation?
How? How are you going to achieve it? Go in-depth and plan out every step/program etc you plan on using
Setting goals has completely transformed my life. I used to struggle with procrastination and lack of motivation, but once I started setting small achievable goals, I saw a huge shift. I started making progress in my life, I even broke a 3-decade-old smoking habit, which if you were ever a smoker you know that’s a huge win! If you’re interested this month I am giving away a free ebook on breaking bad habits, check my linktree , the free book changes every month so you may get a surprise title if you’re reading this after April 2025
Let’s Recap: no matter which method you use Our goals should have clarity, be motivating, be realistic, and hold ourselves accountable.
In some of my videos, I talk about setting small and achievable goals. setting goals is essential for achieving personal and professional success. By setting goals, we can increase our chances of success and make meaningful progress in our lives.
Homework: take some time to reflect on your goal-setting practices. which do you see yourself actually using, SMART or the W question method? Let me know in the comments.