Have you ever set a goal, but you just never really seemed to make any progress? A goal that really just turned out to be wishful thinking? Maybe you even forgot you ever made it in the first place. I definitely have and, I assume, so has just about everyone. It’s an all too common story, particularly when it comes to fitness. 

Luckily, there is a strategy that is an excellent framework for creating effective goals. You may have heard of setting SMART goals, but if you haven’t, it’s not just a special category of intelligent targets. SMART is an acronym for the qualities that make a good goal. Those qualities are -

S - Specific: Make your goal as specific as possible. Avoid generalized aspirations.

M - Measurable: Your goal and progress towards achieving it should be quantifiable. 

A - Action-oriented: Success should be determined by YOUR actions and not left to others or chance.

R - Realistic: Of course our goals can be ambitious, but don’t set yourself up for failure with impossibly difficult goals. Consider your constraints. Take smaller, more manageable steps if needed.

T - Time-bound: Give yourself a target completion date, along with checkpoints if it’s a long-term goal. A goal without a plan and without a time frame, is just wishful thinking.

Early in my career in the fitness industry, I learned this simple and insightful tool to help clients set goals with better outcomes. But as great as the strategy is, I found that it was still missing a couple more key ingredients. What was it that really set apart those that achieved success and those that fell short? I realized that the goals needed to be SMARTER. By adding these last two elements, it may make the difference to get you over the top and beyond.

E - Exciting: What fires you up? What do you most care about? Why does it matter to you? Pursuing your goal should drive you and excite you.

R - Recorded: State your goal. Put it on paper. Better yet, share it with others and make it real. Then record your progress along the way with daily or weekly journaling.

There you have it! Get out there and get stuff done with some SMARTER goals!

- Ben