I don’t know about you, but I thrive with goals. But even if you aren’t as gun-ho about goals as I am, you can follow these 5 simple steps to hitting your goals out of the park every time! In fact, it’s a SMART ;) thing to do!

SMART goals is an acronym that you can use when setting a goal for yourself. It stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Time-Bound. Let’s break it down further, shall we?

Specific

When setting a goal, its best to be as specific as possible. In fact, the more specific, the better. By being specific, you are giving yourself a leg up by being able to articulate exactly what you want and you are better able to envision what achieving the goal would look like! Use real numbers, deadlines, and actions!

Examples:

I want to start running (vague) VS I want to be able to run for 15 minutes without stopping (specific)

Measurable

How would you know if you achieved your goal if there was no way to measure it? Choose a goal that allows you to measure your progress!

Examples:

I want to lose weight (not measurable) VS I want to drop 2 pant sizes (measurable)

Attainable

Goals are wonderful! But you can only achieve them if they are attainable, meaning, that it is challenging, but doable!

Example:

I’ve never been able to do 1 push-up, but I want to be able to do 20 in a row (unattainable) VS I want to practice my push-up so I can gain the strength it takes to be able to do 20 in a row (attainable)

Realistic

This one explains itself. Is it realistic? Can it be done? Has it been done before? Even if your goal has never been done before, doesn’t mean it isn’t realistic, just that you may have to experience some trial and errors first!

I whole-heartily believe that anything is possible if you put your mind to it & fully believe in yourself! Big audacious goals usually just require smaller, more attainable goals that get you to your bigger goal!

Time-Bound

What the time frame for your goal? Do you want to achieve it by tomorrow, next year, in the next 5 years? Put a time frame to your goal so you have direction on what exactly needs to be done in order to achieve it! 

Example:

I want to be able to do 5 pull-ups (no time frame) VS I want to be able to do 5 pull-ups by June 15, 2020 (time-bound)

The next time you are creating goals for yourself, make sure they are SMART goals! And once you’ve done that, don’t forget to apply these 5 steps to ensure that you’re hitting your goals day after day, year after year!

Here’s to great things!

Veronica

Photo by Glenn Carstens-Peters on Unsplash