3 Keys in Goal Setting

Many of us have used SMART goals before. This stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Time-based. This is a great framework for writing them but it is missing three critical parts.

The first key is your WHY. The stronger that your why is the more motivated that you are going to be in going after your goal. Also, the more persistent and resilient that you will be when you hit speed bumps along the way. Make a list of all the reasons that you want to achieve this goal. Come up with as many as you can. Then choose and rank the top 3 reasons. If when you read these top 3, you are not motivated, then re-evaluate if this is the best goal for you. Then continue to revisit your goal and your why as you work towards it.

The second major key is the plan. Decide on the 3-5 most important things that you have to do to achieve this goal. This will take some brainstorming and also some research. Then you can ask yourself, out of these 3-5 things, which one do I want to start working on first? Once you choose that then it becomes taking consistent action on that step.

The third key is have a system to hold yourself accountable. It can often be helpful to have a friend, family member or coach there to help hold you accountable. While it may be possible to do it alone, having someone to hold you accountable increases your chances of success as well as makes the process more enjoyable.

A big part of the High Performance Coaching that I do is working with people to come up with and achieve their goals. Reach out to me if you would like to learn more.