How To Set D.U.M.B. Goals?

byRubyCantu

721 followers

Updated 6 years ago

When we think of setting goals, we think about S.M.A.R.T. goals. That's how we've always been taught how to set goals. And I can see how S.M.A.R.T. goals has its place when setting your goals, but I've always seen the flaw in that.

I've never really liked the idea of something being too measurable. These are small plans for people that need certainty. That makes me feel contained, like I'm in a box and it denies the one important factor that truly changes things: that is to Dream Big.

So I wanted to share this video Brendon Burchard did to inspire you to look at your goals differently starting today being that the New Year is still fairly new so you can create your vision and set your goals for the year. Let this year be the year that is Finally different.

S.M.A.R.T. GOALS SUCK

If you want to see change in your life, then you must have a Vision or a calling that is so Big, so Inspiring that you get up early every morning ready to jump out of bed to chase after your vision until you grasp it or die. It will bring forth such a strong desire in you that is beyond your control and maybe even scares you a little bit because it's so beyond your comfort zone and it will take you out of your own world and into the universe of Awesomeness.

When you think about Christopher Columbus traveling across vast oceans of water, were his goals reasonable? What about President Kennedy when he stated we would fly to the moon? Henry Ford, whose dream was to provide affordable cars for everyone. Their dreams were not reasonable, measurable nor on a time table but without those audacious, far out goals we wouldn't be where we are today.

So following Brendon Burchard's advice, you start off with D.U.M.B. GOALS, then use S.M.A.R.T. GOALS to create the roadmap.

The D is for Dream-Driven: Are the goals you're setting aligned with your bigger vision for your life and your contributions. What is your Dream? What is your Why? The HOW will come later. Being that I work at a nursing home with people at the end of their lives, I think what is the life you dare to have that will be meaningful to you, that when you look back at your life you feel you truly lived and then start living that life now.

The U is for Uplifting: Shouldn’t our goals inspire something in us more than a need to meet a deadline? How about we set inspiring, positive, joyous, uplifting goals for ourselves. Set something that is meaningful to you. Word this in a way that is focused on gain, not on loss.

The M is for Method-Friendly: Brendon Burchard states, "If we’re going to take aim at something, let it be something that is friendly to developing practices of mastery towards." Martial arts, yoga, and common sports all have methods, practices, forms, and habits that are built around a broader goal and help people move to mastery. A good goal allows us to create methods and practices that help us move toward them. If we can’t build a practice around it, then we don’t have a goal, we have a task. When we follow a system, we don't have to think about what we need to do. The Roadmap is already set for us and all we need to do is Decide to commit to it.

The B is for Behavior Triggered: I especially love this concept. When we set a goal, we should create a behavioral trigger that reminds us to chase it. For example, if we want to be a better spouse, then we can set a behavior trigger to accomplish it, like a rule, so that when we pull into the driveway at night our first thought is to take a moment to center ourselves and set your intention for your how you choose to interact with your spouse before entering the house. Or, if our goal is to become healthy, the trigger can be that every time we complete our workout week we drive to the health food store and buy live produce. A trigger means: if I am already doing A, then I’m going to add behavior B right after in order to habitually move toward my goal; it’s a reminder and an activator.

I hope this helps you set your goals with WA for the year and in your life as well. I know it inspired me and I felt inspired to share it with the community so that hopefully it would motivate you to do greater things.

#LiveYourBestLife