The SMART technique is a smarter way to set goals. It provides a specific action plan set forth, to encourage, reward, and hold yourself accountable for what you will accomplish.
Specific to exactly what the finish line will look like.
Measurable objectively towards that finish line.
Achievable with your skillset, or potential skill set and resources available.
Relevant to WHO YOU ARE, and who you WILL BECOME.
Time-bound with a HARD deadline.
Pressure and a little self-competition can breed greatness in all areas of life. Let me share an example:
I had a client once, let’s call him Greg. He was a lot like me, even looked like me from a few mirror angles.
Greg wanted to change careers, help people, and make an impact in the lives of not only those in his immediate circle but as many as he could.
But Greg had been going through some major traumas in life recently. He wasn’t in the kind of shape, mental or physical, where he felt confident he could even make a difference. Having been in leadership and sales most of his life, he knew how to set goals and help others succeed, yet as he looked at his own life and analyzed his potential, tragedies, fears, and strengths, he didn’t even know where to begin to start.
In April of 2022, after a massive layoff that left him without a job, or professional confidence, he dove into what his goals needed to be in order for things to really take a massive change.
Here is what he came up with:
Specific
I will do whatever it takes to help others in a way that is fulfilling, not only for them but for myself. I will become certified to train, coach, and develop people in all areas of their life from fitness and nutrition, to life choices and mental health support. This will require multiple certifications such as personal trainer, nutritionist, health coach, and more.
Measurable
Firstly, I will start with 3 specific certifications, Certified Personal Trainer, Certified Health Coach, and Certified Nutrition Coach. These will be 3 individual HUGE wins in the direction of my overall goal.
Achievable
I know how to study, learn, have the time, and the resources to pay for the courses, and finish them in a specific time frame.
Relevant
As a result, these 3 courses will help me be prepared and knowledgeable in the areas of training and coaching clients, providing assistance, support, and motivation as they navigate life’s victories and tragedies. Most importantly, it will also give me the credibility to begin looking into positions and opportunities professionally to use these skills.
Time Bound
By December 1, 2022, I will have all 3 certifications completed. Also, I will be looking into and applying for positions in the coaching and training field. And/or I will be working on my own business as an independent contractor in the field of personal training and coaching.
Yes, this was actually ME, I am and always will be my number 1 client.
I completed the Personal Trainer Certification in July of 2022. A month later in August, I completed the Health Coach Certification. I am now working on the Nutritionist Certification. And I have altered my goal to finish that by my son Dylan’s 8th birthday, August 31, 2022.
Upon completion near the end of July, I began looking at potential opportunities in the fitness world. I’m ecstatic to report that I accepted an offer to be the full-time trainer for a physical therapy clinic. It specializes in injury recovery and prevention using alternative treatments and positional release therapies. The chance to help others, while expanding my knowledge, gaining experience, and leading others to their own victories is overwhelming and EXCITING!
Had I not been specific in my intentions, with relevant ideas on how to get to this point, and determined with a time-bound mission, I’d still be working my way through chapters and quizzes in the certification process and probably working some 9-5 job which promised nothing but an uphill climb in the rat-race which most find themselves trapped in.
Instead, thanks to the support and encouragement of those around me, and the goals I set, I’m jumping head first into the deep end of a world I’m passionate about, working with people who CARE about healing and improving the lives of others and doing it in a way that supports the person I AM and which will no doubt, develop me into the person I WILL BECOME.
