Identifying Goals

Look – I’m not going to recreate the wheel here. There are COUNTLESS websites, blogs, personal coaches, etc., who have posted (and posted…and posted…and posted) about what they feel is the best way to help The Average Joe identify their goals.

“But, Erica? Why are YOU then creating yet another blog post about goals?”

Well, friends, because it is still applicable! Despite all these sources of genuinely valuable information, many still struggle with it. Throughout my life, I have been afforded many opportunities to guide team members, family, and friends as they identify and pursue their goals.

Most of us have heard to go about this using the acronym SMART: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-oriented. And while this ideology is perfect, it can leave us feeling somewhat lost. Let me explain.

In the early 2000’s, I was classified as morbidly obese. At 5’8”, I weighed in at roughly 300 pounds. When I applied SMART, this is what it looked like:

SPECIFIC – Lose 160 pounds

MEASUREABLE – Easy, use the scale

ATTAINABLE – I know it can be done

RELEVANT – Pretty simple here…I need to lose weight to feel better physically and to take care of young children

TIME-ORIENTED – However long it takes!