Goals are something we are all told to have. You must have a goal for your career, physique, family, money, etc.

As a personal trainer, it is ingrained in us to utilize S.M.A.R.T. goals with our clients if we want them to be successful.

The S.M.A.R.T. acronym stands for:
Specific
Measurable
Attainable
Realistic
Timely

To be clear, if you are going to set a goal, these are the metrics that should be utilized.

Having goals is a good way to shoot for something you want to achieve but if the goals themselves are the prime motivator of your actions then there is a glaring problem; what if you don’t achieve your goal? The feeling of failure is powerful and when a goal you set for yourself isn’t achieved by some arbitrary date, it can prevent you from persevering.

What’s important is to set goals but not tether yourself to them. Instead, focus on your processes for how you will achieve those goals. By falling in love with the process of losing weight or spending more time with loved ones, you’ll be creating new habits that make achieving that goal effortless.

For example, if you set a goal to spend 1 hour with your family every day, set up a specified time in your calendar that reminds you of “family time” each day.

Still have the goal, but set up the process that will get you to achieve that goal and you may find more success in achieving what you really want.