How to Set Goals

photo credit: ricardo arce/unsplash

In some of our final posts from 2020, we began exploring planning and goal setting. This week, we pick up where we left off in planning to give focus to goals and goal setting. If you have been following along, you should have your plan. Think of your plan as your basic map of the landscape and pathways that will get you from the first step to the final destination. The plan or map is your “what” and contains elements of “when”. The plan does not necessarily tell you “how” you are going to get from point A to point Z.

Enter goals. A goal is simply a desired end result or outcome, though isn’t always easy to achieve. Goals can be big or small; part of a multi-step plan or stand on their own. With any goal, big or small, it’s important to know the following:

• Why is it important? How is it connected to your life?

• Who or what will be impacted or involved?

• What happens if you do not pursue and/or reach this desired outcome?

Knowing why you are establishing and pursuing a specific goal or set of goals is critical to setting yourself up for success.

Carefully crafted goals with supporting action plans (groups of smaller goals…) will be the bulk of your plan. They are the majority of the adventure and how change takes place. They are focused and detailed enough so that you know exactly how and when you are going to achieve them.

Let’s say you wish to lose 10 pounds (main goal). Why is this outcome important to you? Why is the change necessary? In pursuing this goal, you know that you need to do a few things between starting at your current weight and getting to your intended weight—this is your path, made up of smaller steps/goals. You may also have some incorporated desires and parameters; for instance, you may know that you want to lose 2 pounds per week or you may know that you don’t like or are not able to exercise. These are pieces of your plan, but they don’t give you full detail on how to go about losing weight at 2 lbs per week without lots of exercise.

This is where goals come in. The best goals, big or small, are SMART goals. This means that they are:

• Specific

• Measurable

• Action-oriented

• Realistic/reasonable

• Time-sensitive

You can set a goal for each main segment along the way toward getting to your ultimate goal/destination. Each goal should be specific and clear, have a measurement component (how will you know you achieved it?), require action or some effort, be reasonably attainable, and have a timeframe attached to it. If you keep these elements in mind, you can craft some stellar goals to achieve within your plan. With our weight loss goal, the first step/goal might be to clear the house of junk food. That is pretty clear and specific. It is also measurable, as the parameter is no junk food around. It is action-oriented. It seems reasonable. It just needs a timeframe. So, the goal statement would be as follows: I will clear the house of all junk food by Friday morning.

photo credit: annie spratt/unsplash

There can be an additional component to keep you on track and motivated--the AIM segment of the goal. This stands for:

• Acceptable

• Ideal

• Minimum

If your ideal incremental goal is to lose 2 pounds per week, then maybe the minimum goal would be 1 pound a week and the acceptable goal would be 1.5 pounds per week. Again, you continue to reach for the 2 pound threshold, but you can still make progress and meet your overall goal parameters with the other options as well. AIM is a motivation and focus tool--it is not meant to let you off the hook without giving things some effort.

Finally, assess your goal/step through the lens of your overall plan. Does the goal help you get further toward your desired end result? If the answer is yes, then you are in good shape--if the answer is no, you likely need some incremental goal modifications. In our example, clearing the house of junk food should certainly help toward losing weight.

The inner-workings of the goal are your action steps. These can be thought of as mini-goals in getting you to your final goal. It might be things like: clear out the candy drawer on Monday, tackle the pantry closet on Tuesday, etc.

A word about accountability: sometimes a plan involves many people working together toward the end result; other times, you are going it alone. In either case, but specifically when you are navigating alone, it can be important to share your plan and goals with someone else. Not only can this person provide some feedback on your plan, but they can also help support you and keep you on track.

If the map is your plan, then the goals are the mile markers and the action steps/smaller goals are the 1/10 mile markers. If you keep on track and cruise through each mile marker successfully, your final destination will be achieved before you know it, so AIM SMART and get to work!

If you are unclear on how to craft a plan or set goals, reach out to Core Endeavors for assistance!

Be Well,

Amy and Holly