A couple days ago I gave you the first reason (out of three) I believe SMART goals are not so smart... Check it out here!
So what? The second aspect of "SMART" goals that I'd encourage you to question is; Although "SMART" goals have some specificity around the "What" and the "When", there's no connection to a bigger "Why". When you aren't very clear about your "Why", no wonder it is easy to give up when the "going gets tough"! An example of a "SMART" goal could be "Loose 10lb/5kg by Nov 1st". Specific – yes, Measurable – yes, Achievable – yep, Realistic – absolutely, Timebound – clearly! Many of us have set a similar goal more than once. Yet, how inspired do you really feel about this kind of goal? How likely are you to continue to feel inspired and stick to such a goal when you are tempted or fall back into old habits? Often, a goal without a clear and meaningful "Why" feels very "dry" and factual, lacking clear vision for how the end result will actually affect us. There might also be a bit of a "should" vibe to it. We feel like we should get in shape. We should loose weight. Like we are taking it on just to please someone else or live up to what is expected by society at large. I suggest we broaden our view and consider the "Why" of each of our goals. It's like getting your head out of the details and looking at the bigger picture of how this goal fits into out life's ambitions. For each goal, ask yourself: “In the bigger scheme of things, how does reaching this goal matter? In what way will my life situation be better or my opportunities improve by reaching this goal?” The lack of true understanding of our personal "why" is especially common for things that are common in our culture. Pretty much everyone wants to drop a few pound, get in shape, spend more time with those we care about and so forth… We tend to not question WHY we are actually going after some of those goals. Rather, I suggest you pause to ask yourself "why", in order to get a better understanding about what is truly important about each goal. Often, the really motivating reason for us to take something on is not immediately obvious. It might be "buried" several layers deep. For each answer you get after asking yourself "Why?", ask again: "How is that important?", "So what?". This will get you closer to the core of what truly matters to you about this. For the weight loss example: "When that is true (having lost 10 lb, or whatever the initial goal was) what will be different?" "What becomes possible? ...and what is important about THAT?... so what?... Why so?..." – you might sound a bit like an inquisitive young child but keep going, it's worth it! ;) You might discover that what you long for is to feel an ease of movement or feel strong and equipped to engage in a specific activity. You might realize that there are completely different goals that you want to set, for which the weight loss is not a prerequisite. Maybe you realize you want to learn how do dance? Climb a mountain? Speak with confidence? If so; Start dancing! Start taking small hikes! Start speaking! When you put your energy toward something bigger that you truly feel inspired to work for, the weight is no longer an excuse and chances are that some pounds will drop as a natural outcome of you getting into inspired action. When considering goals that are set for you by someone else - like company goals or department goals - it's equally important to ask "Why?". What are we ultimately aiming for here? What bigger vision does this goal support? So, to truly set SMART goals, in addition to being ASPIRATIONAL, I believe they also need to be RELEVANT to a bigger vision. If this was useful, please like, comment and follow! Want more? Read about the third/last reason SMART goals aren't so smart... here. Comments are closed.
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AuthorAs a Holistic Time Management coach Ulrika reflects on ways to live our every day on purpose - with agility. Archives
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