Change Your Life with SMART Goals!
No matter how good you are at something, there is always room for improvement. Wanting something is one thing, but as millions of broken New Year's resolutions show every year, setting a goal is much easier than meeting that goal. A good goal is SMART: specific, measurable, action-focused, realistic, and time-bound:
- A goal should be as specific as possible. If your broad goal is to lose weight and you lose 2 ounces, you've technically met your goal. A good goal, on the other hand, would be to lose 10 pounds in the next 3 months.
- Measurable goals are best, because it's apparent if you're making progress toward meeting your goal.
- Action-focused goals require an action on the part of the goal setter. For fitness goals, a personal readiness device or a health application can be a great aid in reminding you of the actions you need to take.
- Good goals are realistic. A smart goal setter needs to make an honest assessment of how much improvement is possible in a given period of time and base the goal on that assessment. As the old adage goes, Rome wasn't built in a day. Trying to do too much too quickly can be just as detrimental as doing nothing.
- Lastly, a SMART goal is time-bound. When setting a goal, you need a deadline to reach it.
Cook, L. (2013, November 22). Change your life with SMART goals! [Excerpt]. Retrieved June 4, 2024, from https://www.army.mil