Setting SMART Goals
A goal is a dream with a deadline. Napoleon Hill
I will always remember the first three goals I wrote down in my life: become a certified yoga instructor by the time I was 25, purchase a Vespa scooter, and see the Scissor Sisters live in New York. I achieved the first two and STILL hold full intention to make good on the third! That feeling of integrity that comes with doing something you say you will when you say you will is rewarding and unforgettable. This was my first experience setting SMART goals, and I have since reframed the way I ask things of myself.
The formula is as follows:
Illuminating the acronym:
Specific || What exactly do you want to accomplish? Measurable || Can you assess your progress? How will you know when you have achieved it? Attainable || Is this goal something you have control over? Relevant || Is this goal applicable towards your life's purpose? Timely || What is your deadline?
On top of these 5 parameters, I learned that the way you use language has a lot to do with your outcome. Pre-framing your goals in a current tense allows you to feel salient about your dream. When you speak and act like it's already happening, it is. So rather than saying "I will start running", it sounds more like "I run 5 km every Monday/Wednesday/Friday". Replacing words like "will" with the actual action of the goal is liberating.
Arriving at one goal is the starting point to another. John Dewey
Goals are allowed to change. If something is really meant to happen, it will. I would never beat myself up over not seeing the Scissor Sisters (yet) in New York because it just hasn't been realistic at any point in my life thus far. Perhaps this goal didn't sync with the "attainable" or "relevant" factors of SMART goal-setting, but a girl should always still dream. At least I was serious about the scooter!
If a goal IS attainable and you are simply ignoring it, that's another story. Which brings me to my next point... share your goals with your team. Family, friends, colleagues, mentors - they all want to see you succeed. The more you are transparent with your endeavours, the more people can hold you accountable and cheer you on. Everybody wins.
Check out this list of 60 things that keep you from achieving your goals on mindbodygreen.com
Share your goals, dreams, and plans with us! Get the conversation started and keep it going. Connect with us at the studios, on Facebook, or drop us a line @ info@yogalifestudios.ca