Are you a dreamer? A goal-getter? Do you have big aspirations? Chances are you answered yes to at least one of those questions. Even if you didn’t, don’t go anywhere because I bet you’ve still heard about the topic we’re covering today. You’ve probably guessed it by now, goal setting. Now, if you’ve been with me for awhile, you know I’m all about goals to keep growing. (Originally, they were just for achieving, but I’m actively working to shift my mind toward growth instead of achievement. A continual work in progress.) You might be about to tune out because you’re likely thinking, “Lindsay, I’ve heard all about S.M.A.R.T. goals. What can you offer?” Well, friend, what do you think of this statement? I dislike the S.M.A.R.T. goal format and don’t use it. Is that where you thought I was going? So, let me tell you why I don’t like the S.M.A.R.T. goal format and what I use instead.
First as a quick refresher, let us review what S.M.A.R.T. goals are. S.M.A.R.T. is an acronym used to help create a goal. S stands for specific–being crystal clear on what you want to achieve. Example: I want good grades isn’t specific. Naming letter grades in each class would be specific. M is for measurable–must be able to track progress and have an outcome. Saying I want to be healthier isn’t measurable. Saying I want to be better about my nutrition by tracking the types of food I eat and caloric intake to see a change is measurable. A is for achievable or attainable–can this actually be reached in a given timeframe? Me setting a goal to win an Olympic gold medal this year isn’t all that realistic. R is for relevant–the goal aligns with my values. T stands for time–can it be done in a certain time window that promotes productivity but is still reachable?
When I lay it out like that, S.M.A.R.T. goals sound pretty good, but for me they just don’t work. “Why?” Great question. To me the S.M.A.R.T. goal format limits me and gives me a narrow focus. Don’t get me wrong, having a clear and concise direction is essential. However, I think the S.M.A.R.T. goal format locks me into something a blind me from other opportunities and ideas. Additionally, the time piece has always bothered me. For example, the goal has to be done in 1 month, 6 months, a year, or etc. Man, life happens. Now, I know you’re going to tell me but the time part is there to keep me on track. Nope, I’m sorry I disagree. If the “why” behind your goal isn’t enough to keep you pushing for it (note not motivated–motivation waxes and wanes–that’s a topic for another blog post), then it is not your time to pursue it. As an added note to the time structure of the S.M.A.R.T. goal format, it can leave me feeling like a failure for not meeting my own self-imposed deadline. Talk about crazy and a lot of unnecessary negative emotions. My last comment on the S.M.A.R.T. goal format has to do with the way it is taught. I have been graded and assessed on MY goals by others. While feedback is fantastic and I value it, I want to know who is qualified to tell me if I can achieve MY goals, if they are relevant, attainable, etc.
Now you might be thinking, “Lindsay, it sounds like you don’t like people telling you what to do.” Yes, that is true, but let me tell you about how I chase growth to achieve my goals. I cast the most outlandish vision of myself that I want. AND dream it BIG! I call my shot because even if I miss, my growth and path will lead me somewhere beautiful. After I call my goal, I reverse engineer what it is going to take for me to get there step by step until I get to the present time. Then I know the first step. With that first step I can dive into the nitty gritty to find out how I can track progress, when I can expect the first baby step to be wrapping up, what knowledge do I hope to gain, AND most importantly make space for things I may learn or gain unexpectedly that could change/tweak my next step or big goal because life happens. Finally, I wrap it up with making my “why” a concise why statement with my goal and say a prayer so I can repeat these over and over again through the process.
So let me tell you how I’ve used this method in the past. Last year, I decided to challenge myself and pick a goal that seemed impossible. I’ve spoken about this before, but I started with, “I’m going to run a half-marathon”. Cool, well how do I do that? I have to train. Awesome, how do I train? I’ll have to look that up. Most training programs look the same and are 12 weeks. Great so I have to start a training plan 12 weeks prior to race day and you have to be able to run 3 miles three times a week to do this training. I should pick a race day that allows for me to further build up running prior to training. Boom, picked a race. Then I had a day to start a training program. Then I had a timeline of increasing my running to at least 3 miles three times per week. I also used this time to sort out nutrition and recovery needs–not a part of the original goal (or in the S.M.A.R.T. goal format). But it did come up in my research and helped me better achieve my goal because I wasn’t only focused on measuring my running distances. You can still be clear and have multiple things that influence the outcome as long as they help and don’t hinder the outcome. For me if I had done this in the S.M.A.R.T. goal format, I think I would have been overwhelmed, missed extra training, and lost out on improving my nutrition. I also grew by continuing to push myself on runs and with nutrition leading to more growth and believing I could accomplish more–after all I was proving it to myself daily.
In a future blog post, I’ll share with you how I am actively using my “dream it big, reverse engineer it, and go for it” method. I wanted to share, because I hope this helps get some people unstuck and helps them move forward. If you don’t put Baby in a corner, then why put your goals in the S.M.A.R.T. goal format? (Sorry, I could not resist.) You are GREATER THAN only having a S.M.A.R.T. goal. Let me know how you’ll use my goal strategy of “dream it big, reverse engineer it, and go for it”. If you want help with my method, reach out, and I’m happy to discuss it with you.
Decision-making takes care of goal-setting, but discipline also takes care of goal-getting. Decisions and discipline can’t be separated; one is worthless without the other.
John C. Maxwell
Greater Than 