Are Your Goals Hurting Your Progress?

byAJTrimble1

9.1K followers

Updated 5 years ago

Each new year, people make all kinds of goals, typically referred to as “resolutions”. The challenge is that most of us don’t stick to them very well.

I don’t believe that we can always chalk it up to a lack of will power. Believe it or not, I find that many people who struggle with goals actually don’t know what a goal is or how to make one.

Are You SMART?

Have you ever been told that you should have SMART goals? SMART is an acronym for specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-based.

It breaks down as such:

Specific

This means to target a specific area for improvement, rather than just some vague, random desire.

Measurable

The old saying goes, what can be measured can be achieved. Here you want to quantify a definite indicator of progress.

Achievable

While it’s important to push your limits, a goal should still be achievable. For example, I’m 50 years old, 5’7”, overweight, and diabetic. No matter how bad I want it to happen, I am likely never going to play star center for the Chicago Bulls.

Relevant

Once you understand what results can realistically be achieved, ask yourself if they make sense for your given situation. For instance, are they work-related, personal, spiritual, etc.

Time-bound

You have to specify when the result is expected to be achieved.

So, what’s the problem with SMART goals?

First, I find that they lock you in too tight. What I mean is many people are so specific with what they want to achieve, any little “hiccup” along the way risks derailing the entire thing.

But life doesn’t work that way. There are a gazillion variables that go into every little part of your life. Without the flexibility to adjust along the way, we tend to quit.

For example, if my goal is to lose 50 pounds, and I slip up at work and eat a chocolate chip cookie offered by a coworker, my guilt may get the better of me and I decide, “Why bother?”

Goals Vs. Outcomes

Pop quiz…

When is a goal not a goal? When it is an outcome.

I know they sound the same, but I promise I’m not trying to be clever. There really is a difference.

Many people set goals like, “I’m going to lose 50 pounds by July.” Or, “My goal is to build a million-dollar website.” But, contrary to popular belief, these are not goals; these are outcomes.

An outcome is something that, while you want to accomplish it, you have no control over whether it happens or not.

You have no control over your metabolism, so you can’t control whether you lose 50 pounds or not. You may lose more. You may lose less.

You have no control over whether your site makes a million dollars. You can’t control who or how many people come to your site, nor how many actually buy something. You can have a pretty good guess using analytics and some basic math, sure. But you still can’t truly control it.

A goal, on the other hand, is something that you have 100% control over.

Outcomes Are Events -- Goals Are Actions

I can’t control whether I lose 50 pounds. But I have absolute control over working out. So, my goal is to go to the gym three days a week and exercise for 30 minutes.

I can’t control how much money my website makes, but I have absolute control over whether I post an article this week.

Creating “smart” goals that set too many restrictions is, well, not smart.

Confusing outcomes with goals will not help you much to achieve either one.

Instead, focus on what you can control and the outcomes will generally take care of themselves.

Go forth, take action, and make something really awesome happen!