Be SMART, Set Goals!

We are over half way through the year so today I want to talk a little about setting goals. Some of you like to make New Year's Resolutions which are goals by another name. The question is do you stick to them and are they SMART goals?

I have always been a person that sets goals for myself, my career, my relationships with family and friends, pretty much everything. I am a goal oriented person. I get so excited to reach my goals and once I do then I don't stop there....I set MORE goals. It's what drives me. 

Now I understand that not everyone is like me in that aspect but I do think it's important to set goals so you know where you are heading or at least where you want to go. If you aren't looking to achieve more then you will simply stay where you are. Not that where I am in my life is a bad thing, I just feel like you should always try to grow as a person and goals help you do that. 

So what are SMART goals? Well to answer that, first you have to know that SMART is an acronym. 

S - Specific
(Who, What, What, Why, Where?)

M - Measurable
(How much, How often, How many?)

A - Attainable  
(Achievable?)

R - Realistic  
(Is it important to what you want to achieve ultimately?)

T - Time  
(By when?)

 Now seeing what that acronym means, does it make a little more sense? This process helps us make goals that we can actually accomplish. 

Setting goals can be tricky. You can end up setting to many goals. Your goals can be to big, as in not specific enough. However, the biggest mistake I find people make is that they don't write their goals down! Lets be real, we all have a lot going on and we can lose sight of our goals if they aren't written somewhere! I personally bought a notebook that I use for goal setting only. This keeps all my goals, whether short term or long term, in one place. 

How you make SMART goals is something you are probably wondering about. Well, first you must decide on what you want to achieve. For me it's important that I get both kids potty trained. So lets use that as an example on how to make it a SMART goal. 

Intention - Get both kids potty trained

S - Potty Train Hayleigh & Bella

M - Start with 3 times a day (wake up, lunch, before bed) then slowly progress to every 30 minutes sitting on the potty. Once accomplished that then switch to big girl undies and they go when needed.

A - Yes

R - Yes

T -  Hayleigh by September & Bella by December



Setting SMART goals also helps you put a plan into action. Did you notice that my measureable section caused me to start the plan and then the time section caused me to set a deadline.  This allows me to not only set my goal but make a plan on attaining that goal. When you do this process you will complete the first two steps of reaching your goals! 

All you have to do next is put your plan into action and stick with it. Some might say that's the hardest part and it can be; however, that's the most rewarding part! Knowing you are working towards your goal and you actually have a plan of action that is effect means you are way ahead of most people. Don't get caught up saying "this is too hard" and all that negative stuff. It's not too hard. When doing your SMART goal, you said that your goal was attainable and realistic therefore it's achievable. Even if you don't see it, if you are sticking to the plan then it's working. If you don't see any results that are moving you towards your goal then simply re-evaluate your plan of action.

A good example of this is my daughter Hayleigh and her potty training. She had set backs with her potty training when we moved overseas and she was REFUSING to potty train. I was at the end of my rope and had no idea what to do. No matter what I tried it wasn't working. I mean we were trying everything in the book! The day came that she started pre-school (here in Belgium they start them at 2 1/2 years old) and I felt horrible sending her to school not potty trained. The teacher told me it wasn't a big deal and that they would work with her. I'm not kidding, within two weeks she was using the potty all day. I wasn't seeing the improvement at home though....I asked her teacher at our one on one conference how she was doing and she told me she wasn't using her pull up at all during the day. She used the potty all day and I was in shock! I didn't think I was reaching my goal of getting her potty trained but in reality, with a little help, we were reaching it. 

Being SMART about your goals can help you achieve them much quicker. You don't want to make your goals so vague that you may never be able to accomplish them and without a plan of action or a time frame then you are only wishing. Push yourself outside of your comfort zone and make SMART goals! Chalene Johnson always talks about having one PUSH goal so I make sure that my yearly goals have one PUSH goal and then a few more smaller goals. Then I also make weekly & monthly goals. I spend my Monday mornings writing out my weekly goals and the last week of the month I write out my goals for the next month. It may seem like a lot for those of you who are just starting out with your goals so do what's comfortable for you. Just make sure you have one PUSH goal. If you are wondering about PUSH goals then you can pick up Chalene's book here to learn more. 

I'm here for questions or if you want some help. This is all my personal thoughts and take on setting goals so you may even have a system that works better. If you think so then please share so I can try it out! XoXo