Finding your North Star
You wouldn’t set out on a journey without knowing where you were headed, would you? When you set goals, they keep you focused. Goals give you something to strive for and ultimately achieve. Goals must be specific, measurable, and realistic. Let’s start with SMARTÂ goals.
Specific
Ok, so we’re looking to get specific here.
Goals like “I want to getter better at X” are a great starting point, but we need to get more detailed.Â
If you wanted to “Read More” you need to know what “More” looks like. Is it five books? Ten?Â
What does more, better or good look like to you? Make it easy to understand what you are trying to achieve.
Measurable
Have a goal in mind that you’d like to set? Measurable, in my mind, goes hand in hand with Specific Goals.
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How will you track your progress and stay motivated? Having a measurable goal will allow you to assess your progress and that will help you to stay motivated. This will also show you getting closer to achieving your goal, and give you a much needed boost on the harder days.
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A measurable goal can be made by thinking of “How” questions such as:
- How much/many?
- How will I know when it is accomplished?
Achievable
If you want to achieve your goals…well, it has to be realistic! The best way of describing this is, if I wanted to become an astronaut, it certainly wouldn’t happen overnight.
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Grand goals on your list? Do not let me dissuade you, in fact, I’m going to write about the power of failure in an upcoming post.
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But if you want a list of goals to keep you motivated, then you should have some that you can realistically achieve. If your goal is really big, my best advice is to break it down into manageable bite-sized goals. For example, if you struggle to read a book, commit to just reading a few pages – some progress is better than nothing at all!
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When considering whether your goal will be achievable, consider the constraints surrounding it. Is it bound by time? How much will it cost? How will you achieve this goal?
Relevant
Remember when we spent some time figuring out what made us feel fulfilled?
Because we spent the time performing some self-discovery, we will know what drives us, and what kind of goals align with our vision of a more fulfilled future.
We can make sure our goals are working towards the life and vision we want to achieve.
Check-in with what gives you fulfillment and ask yourself:
- Does this goal align with my needs/desires?
- Is this goal worthwhile?
- Is this the right time for this goal?
Time Bound
Personally, I need a deadline. I’m not a deadliner, but I need a date in order to remain focused and motivated.
I have set goals in the past without giving myself a time frame to achieve them in. Because of that, they have lingered longer on my whiteboard than I am truly comfortable sharing. Ok, I had a section on my whiteboard I had left neglected for a whole year. So set yourself up for success by asking:
- When do I want to achieve this by?
- How long will this take me?
- What time will I set aside to complete my goal?Â
- How long will it take to achieve this goal?
What does a smart goal look like?
In the beginning, I wanted to set a goal for myself of reading more.
Quite a vague goal right?Â
Last year I read 12 books. Not too bad, but certainly nothing to write home about.
Let’s see what my goal looks like now I’ve considered my starting point, (12 books I read last year).Â
Example SMART goal:
By the end of 2021 I will have read 24 books.
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let’s smash these smart goals
What goals have you set for 2021?
I’ll be sharing my yearly goals in a later post, but I’d love to hear about yours!
How many goals will you crush this year?
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