Goal-Setting and Success: The ART in SMART!

by Michelle Cederberg, Health and Productivity Expert

Welcome back to Dream BIG, think small. In my last post, I talked about resolutions, why they don’t work, and what you can do to find better success.

If you haven’t read Part Two of this series, I encourage you to do so!

It’s only March, and you’ve got plenty of time to hit that “reset button” in order to find success with your goals.

Today I am excited to talk about goal-setting. You’re probably familiar with so-called “S.M.A.R.T.” goals. Well, I actually think smart goals are pretty dumb!

Why? Because it’s hard to get excited about specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, time-based goals.

In a word: BORING!

It’s good in theory, but really quite uninspiring. And if your goals mean anything to you, don’t you want to wrap them in possibility and excitement? I think you do!

How to Make S.M.A.R.T. Goals Exciting and Meaningful

So here’s what we’re going to do: I’m going to share with you a method of goal-setting that I learned while I was doing my training as a certified professional co-active coach.

We’re going to add some ART to your SMART!

And we’re going to start with the end in mind:

So time-based goals are practical. And it’s not necessarily a bad thing, but I’m going to ask you to set those aside for a moment.

Let’s make that first “T” stand for THRILLING.

How can you re-focus your goals so that you get so excited about them that you can’t wait to get started on them every single day? That’s worth thinking about.

Now the next one on the checklist for smart goals is realistic. Really?

We’re dreaming big here. So let’s focus instead on RESONANCE.

What do you need to do to make that goal meaningful to you, to make that goal vibrate within your body? To be able to say, “This is all about ME!”

The next item on the checklist is attainable. Are you kidding me? Let’s stretch it a bit.

Accountability is going to make any goal happen.

Let’s look at the art of that. A thrilling goal might be to run your first marathon. Ooh, that would be good.

A resonant goal would be “Oh my gosh, if I’m going to suffer through all that training, I’m going to run my marathon somewhere great, like HAWAII!”

And the accountable part of that would be, “I’m going to join a training group that’s going to hold me accountable to reach my goal.”

THAT’S the art of it!

The Key to Success is Making Your Goals Meaningful

The last two parts are specific and measurable. Well, you get to keep the specific and measurable parts of your goal.

For example, it took me 10 years to write my book.

And it wasn’t ten years of writing.

It was ten years of focusing the goal until it meant something to me.

The thrill was always going to be having the finished product. The resonant piece was FINALLY getting a topic that meant something to me.

The accountability piece was my book group that helped me to write those pages and get the proposal done.

And finally, my publisher held me to how many pages and the deadline for the book’s completion. ENERGY NOW!

So those are S.M.A.R.T. goals with art added. Don’t you think that sounds like more fun?

Take a look at what you’ve got with your big plans for this year and try to add some fun to it.

Stay tuned for Part 4 of this series, Dream BIG, think small!

(published May 27, 2013)

Michelle Cederberg is a Certified Speaking Professional, Co-Active Life Coach, Health Expert and Author. With a Masters in Kinesiology, a BA in Psychology, and a specialization in Health and Exercise Psychology, Michelle combines mind, body, and practicality to inspire change! She speaks with humour and passion, and encourages her audiences to put their own health and well being back on their priority lists with a small steps approach that leaves them believing they can. The author of Energy Now! Small Steps to an Energetic Life, is also a bit of a video girl, regularly posting helpful (and at times hilariously funny) videos on her Energy TV channel. Learn more at www.worklifeenergy.com.