All about SMART goals and how to achieve success! 

Setting goals are so important to achieving success. Having a goal written down is one step closer to accomplishing that goal. Think of how many times you said “Someday” or “Tomorrow”.

Those days have come and gone and have you accomplished those goals or made any progress? Maybe you have and you are working on new goals! For most that is not the case.

However, all is not lost!! You can start today, you can start RIGHT NOW! We want to make sure our goals are SMART Goals.

Goals that are:

Specific: Be as specific as possible. A popular goal is to lose weight. “I want to lose weight” is not specific enough. “I want to lose 10lbs” is more specific. “I want to be a size 4” “I want to be at 10% body fat” etc these are all good examples of goal that is specific.

Measurable (How do I know I’m succeeding?): Think about if your goal is trackable, something you can hold yourself accountable to. How do you know you’re progressing towards your goal? Using the above example of losing 10lbs, one can know if they’re progressing by weighing themselves weekly.  

Attainable: Is the goal realistic? I’m sure everyone wants to be at their goal tomorrow or even today! For example losing 10lbs in a week is not realistic for most people.    

Relevant: Is your goal consistent with your long term plans? I’m sure a goal most of us have is to be millionaires, but thats not really consistent with a goal of losing 10lbs. 

Timely: Your objective should include a time limit. This will help keep you accountable keep you on track with your time management.

Here are some examples of SMART goals:

Other things to consider are obstacles

Most paths to success, whether it be financial or involving our health and wellness is not linear. There will be distractions, obstacles, you will stumble and fall (perhaps literally) but do not give up! You are worth it! Think of some of the obstacles you might face, such as time, place, finances, etc. Do not let these obstacles determine your level of success. Instead identify an obstacle and ask yourself “What do I need to do to overcome this obstacle?” For example if its time, “What can I do to have more time?” A good idea would be to create a time journal of how you spend your time. You may be surprised where you can either create time or you have pockets of time available.

Most of us are fortunate to have amazing support systems

Our friends, family, and loved ones. Ask them to help hold you accountable for your goals. Ask them to write down their goals and then you can hold each other accountable! It’s believed by having a strong support system our chance of success increase by about 40%. Surround yourself with those that have similar goals. That way you can set good examples for one another. If you find yourself lacking a good support system, by all means feel free to reach out to me. I would be more than happy to help you!

Last but certainly the most important, find your purpose

When your purpose is strong it will get you out of bed early to get that workout in, it will get you to the gym when you’re feeling sore from the workout before, it will make you think twice about having that unhealthy snack or meal. Make sure to dig deep! A client of mine said he wanted to get healthy for a job promotion. The job is physical and requires activity that he currently is not conditioned for. I asked him why this job meant so much to him. He said it paid more. I probed further by asking what the extra money would mean to him. He said he could save money for school and pursue his career. I continued probing further. Come to find out his purpose wasn’t to get a promotion. It was family. By getting the promotion he would get paid more, which would allow him to pursue his career. Pursuing his career would give him more money and flexibility to better help his family.

Now that you know about SMART goals, start creating your own goals!

Both short term (what do I want to accomplish next week, next month, within the next 6 months?) and long term (what do I want to accomplish next year, within the next 5, 10 years?) Write your goals down and place them in a spot that you will see them EVERYDAY ie the fridge, bathroom mirror, bedroom wall etc By having a strong purpose, support system, and SMART goals you can achieve success!

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