SmArtER 🎯
Audacious | Exciting | Relevant
Last week, I shared Arnold Schwarzenegger’s 5 steps to success. His first step was goal-setting. This week, I will develop this idea further.
We are still early in 2022, and whilst a calendar year shouldn’t bind you, it is a good hack to give yourself a couple of targets for the end of the year.
Some might question the idea of setting goals altogether. I would agree as it is not so much what you get in the end than what you become in trying to get it. I will discuss this in a subsequent letter but nonetheless, building goals as a direction of travel is a key step to success.
Goals are consciously defined targets that keep you focused on your long-term vision for success and provide the motivation to achieve it. Well-defined goals identify an ideal end-state!
I am sure most of us have been told that our goals have to be SMART goals:
Specific
Measurable
Attainable
Realistic
Timed
We talk about it at work, and everywhere. This classic acronym is overused and feels dull to me! It lacks soul, spirit, and emotions. So, today, I would like to introduce small nuances, which for me were a light bulb moment. This has changed everything!
From SMART, we will go SMARTER:
From
Specific
Measurable
Attainable
Realistic
Timed
We will go
Specific
Measurable
Audacious - NEW
Relevant - NEW
Time-bound
Exciting - NEW
Rewarding - NEW
So, what is my take on each one?
Specific: (same as old version) a practical goal targets a defined area for improvement. The way the brain works has shown the more specific a goal is, the greater the chance of achieving it. What exactly do you want to accomplish?
Measurable: (same as old version) a goal is quantified to observe progress. Even things that do not appear to be measurable can actually be measured in some way, so it’s important to find a way to measure to see how it moves in the desired direction. What elements will you measure as evidence that you're making progress? How will you know when you've reached your goal?
Audacious: (NEW) the old version said Achievable…but back to Arnold’s suggestion, think big! Have big, audacious, ambitious goals! Goals that scare you! Then, break them down into smaller ones. How scared are you by your own goal?
Relevant: (NEW) the old version said realistic….well let’s start by having a goal that is truly mine and that I can embrace every day. They must have a meaning to you, they must be yours and in line with what you want, core to you, living in you. This goal is yours, not what someone has said for you!
Time-bound: (same as old version) deadlines work magic on our brain. The pressure to deliver and simply the fact of having a date in mind makes your goal a reality. A practical goal specifies when the necessary actions will be taken and when the results will be achieved. Is your timeline realistic while allowing for some flexibility if needed?
Exciting: (NEW) they must spark some joy, fun, or excitement for you to push through and go the extra mile. How do you feel every morning thinking about it?
Rewarding: (NEW) it is important to get clarity on the benefit that achieving it will bring you. This becomes motivating. What will it change and bring you?
Some habits are positive, others negative. When you're under stress, habitual behaviours assert themselves much more intensively than they do when you're feeling calm and in control. By cultivating good habits and breaking bad ones, you're more likely to stay on track to meet your goals when things don't go quite as planned.
Thinking SMARTER will not only foster good habits but now more audacious, relevant, exciting, and ultimately rewarding habits that will propel you further.
Question: How can you be S.M.A.R.T.E.R?