Only 3% of people set goals. Of that 3% only 1% actually write them down.
While the percentage of members at WOTOWN FIT who set goals are significantly higher (32%) through goal setting sessions, there is still room for growth here.
I wholeheartedly believe that setting goals and telling someone close to you your goals is one of the most important things you can do to achieve your goals because of the accountability component.
Two reasons that people struggle with goals is because:
1. They don’t know how to set them.
2. They aren’t realistic.
The best tool to combat both of these problems and set you up to accomplish your goals in the new year is to set S.M.A.R.T Goals.
Have you ever heard of the SMART acronym? It stands for specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time-based. It’s a system that allows you to take general desires and wants and hone them to specific tangible targets that you can reach and accomplish. So let’s dive in.
S – Specific
M – Measurable
A – Attainable
R – Realistic
T – Time-based
The first part of the acronym is specific. Your goals must be clear and concisely defined to progress. For example, if someone comes to me and says, “I want to lose weight and feel better,” that goal is entirely too general. I’d dig deeper by asking questions to get some specifics. A better way to phrase the goal might be something like, “I want to lose 12-15 pounds and drop 3 percent body fat over the course of the next 6 months.” Now we have a specific target to work towards.
Your goals must also be measurable. In the above example, it is clearly stated that the goal is to lose 12-15lbs plus drop 3 percent body fat. There is no grey area here. Your results will clearly tell you whether or not you’ve achieved what you set out to do.
Next in the acronym is attainable. Sometimes as humans, we are overly optimistic and set goals way out of the realm of possibility. I’ve had very petite females tell me they want to lose 30 pounds in 2 months. Goals must be attainable, meaning they can be challenging but not impossible. With our above example, we know that healthy weight loss for most humans is 0.5-2.0 pounds per week. It is completely attainable to hit the above target in 6 months.
Closely tied into attainable would be realistic. We again want to make sure that we are setting ourselves up for success. If I have someone come in who is unable to do a standard push-up and they set a goal of achieving a ring muscle up in 3 months, just based on strength requirements and skill, I’d be able to tell that person that the goal is unrealistic. It’s very important to set targets that we can reach.
Last up is the time-based component. Having a deadline to accomplish certain tasks will push people to stay on track.
As you can see, setting SMART goals is challenging but in the end, very rewarding. One of the reasons we push goal-setting consultations so hard at WOTOWN FIT is we know how powerful heartfelt goals can be when working through periods of low motivation. Motivation drops over time, and it’s those people with clearly set goals and front sight focus that can accomplish their mission.
I challenge you to spend the first week of 2024 reflecting on all of the things you’ve accomplished, and then creating a general list of things you’d like to achieve. Ask yourself if the goals are SMART before etching them in stone.
If you are a member at WOTOWN you have access to monthly or 90 day goal reviews with a coach to help set, check progress, and hold you accountable to your S.M.A.R.T goals. If you aren’t a member yet you can totally set S.M.A.R.T goals on your own…or can start the process of becoming a member at WOTOWN with a FREE INTRO here.