Setting SMART Summer Goals

As days pass, it is important to continue to be continuously thinking about your goals; both long and short term. Just a couple months ago, we were excited about the New Year and goals that we set for ourselves. As we look at where we are today, we may have some adjustments to make from the original goal, and we may have different goals and we may just need to start! There is plenty of discussion on the best way to successfully achieve your goal: some focus on writing down monthly goals, some meet with accountability partners, and some take time to vision their goals daily.  Having goals is a great way to motivate yourself and keep you committed to hitting each of your targets.  How can you make sure that you will accomplish your goals?  One of the most efficient ways to set goals is to make sure they are S.M.A.R.T.

SMART Summer Goals

S.M.A.R.T. stands for:

1. Specific
2. Measurable
3. Attainable
4. Relevant
5. Time-bound

Let’s say, your goal is “to get in better shape.”’ This is a great goal, but not specific – what exactly does get in better shape mean?  With such a vague term, how could you know when you’re in better shape and when you have reached your goal? It is important to make your goal specific.  In general, most people would say that if you can do pull-ups, then you are in pretty decent shape.  So as a goal you would want to pick “to be able to do pull-ups” as your goal, making it more specific. It is important to remember that whatever your goal, set small measures to keep momentum to your goal and to continue to refresh your goal. Now that our goal is specific, how can we measure “do pull-ups?”  If you can do pull-ups now, you’ve technically already accomplished your goal.  Therefore you need to make it measurable so that you can track any improvement that you have made.  If you can do two pull-ups in the beginning of the month, set a goal of four or five pull-ups by the end of the month. You need to make sure that you set a goal that you can reach within that month as your given time frame.  When looking at your goal, if you can currently do two pull-ups, setting a goal of twenty pull-ups in one month might be too optimistic.  Think about how long it took you to get 1 pull-up and then two?  That will help you determine what will be a reasonable time frame to reach your goal. Make sure to pick a goal that is relevant to your long-term goals.  For example, if you want to be able to do 12 pull-ups by the end of the year, you might set a goal of being able to do sets of pull-ups a couple times a week in order to build strength to get to the goal of 12. Lastly, making your goal time-bound will motivate you to stay on task and work hard.  Setting a goal is great, but when do you want to have accomplished that goal? If you don’t set a date, then there is no impetus to complete your goal. Since we are talking about short term goals, you should set a date that is only a couple weeks away. While focusing on your goals keep in mind your long term success. If you overwhelm yourself with changes then it is more likely that you will not succeed. Short term goals that are S.M.A.R.T.  will help you to stay focused and reach your desired outcome. We all struggle with sticking to goals and at times we might be short of the goal; don’t give up and you will get there. If your goal includes living a healthier lifestyle or pain relief give Arrowhead Health Centers a call so that we can help you achieve your goals.