A new year, a new you! Ready to crush your goals this year? Forget resolutions that fade by February—let’s talk about setting S.M.A.R.T goals that stick! Whether you’re managing work, kids, or endless to-do lists, here are some goal-setting tips that will help you achieve your ambitions one realistic step at a time.
Why Setting Goals is Crucial for Success in Work and Personal Life
It’s how we get ourselves out of our comfort zone and how we continue to grow. But how do we do that when life is consumed by work, kids activities, making dinner, all the things?! The goal has to be worth the growing pains. Important enough to you to make short term sacrifices. But it also has to be realistic.
Let’s say you want to continue your education. I think we can all agree this is very important. That might mean continuing college classes for a higher degree. It might mean taking classes towards a professional certification. For example, I wanted to obtain my SHRM-CP certificate. I worked full time (more than full time!). My daughter dances competitively. My husband works the 3pm – 11pm shift. How was I going to work, get my daughter to practices, plan dinner every night and study for this test. Not to mention I was teaching at least 3 nights per week at the dance studio myself. But the certification was a way to show myself that I was an expert in my field. And it would let me go so much further in my career. It was a way to show my daughter that you are never done learning and can always grow. I had to make a plan and be intentional every week about my study time. It wasn’t easy. I also had to realize that this was not going to happen overnight. I gave myself a whole year to prepare. Spoiler alert…. I passed on my first try 😊
How to Define and Achieve Your Goal
So, we have established that goals are important. But, how do you establish what your goal should be. Think about the different areas of your life. What is one thing you want to improve? The example I used was a professional goal. But yours doesn’t have to be. Maybe you want to learn a new language or learn to decorate cakes or write a book.
Then define your “why”. Why is this goal meaningful and important to you? Ask yourself, “why do I want this?” “What is it going to change for me?” Then write those answers down somewhere you can go back and look at when things get difficult. Because any goal worth accomplishing is going to be hard!
How to Use S.M.A.R.T. Goals for Personal and Professional Success
Turn your vague goal into a S.M.A.R.T. Goal. (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound). Let’s use the example of learning a new language.
Vague Goal: Learn to speak Spanish.
Specific: specify your end goal. “I want to learn conversational Spanish so I can have basic conversations when traveling or speaking with native speakers.”
Measurable: Define clear milestones to track your progress. “I will complete one unit of my language app each week and learn 50 new vocabulary words per month.”
Achievable: Set a realistic goal based on your schedule and resources. “I will dedicate 20 minutes each day to practice, using language apps, flashcards, or online videos.”
Relevant: Make sure the goal aligns with your broader life goals. “Learning Spanish will enhance my ability to communicate with Spanish-speaking colleagues and friends and will make travel experiences more enjoyable.”
Time-bound: Set a deadline to help you stay focused. “I will be able to hold a 10-minute conversation in Spanish by the end of 6 months.”
S.M.A.R.T. Goal: “I will learn conversational Spanish by dedicating 20 minutes per day to practice, aiming to complete one unit each week and learn 50 new vocabulary words each month, so that I can hold a 10-minute conversation in Spanish within 6 months.”
Use the S.M.A.R.T Goal to process to break it down into even smaller goals. That 20 minutes per day doesn’t need to be 20 minutes consecutive. Maybe 5 minutes at 4 different times in the day is more achievable.
How to Stay Motivated When Challenges Arise
The important thing is to give yourself grace. Life is hard! Things don’t always go as planned. And that is ok! So what if you missed your 20 minutes per day for a whole week. Your one kid had a science fair project due, and your other kid had hockey tournament and you weren’t missing another girls happy hour! Those things are important too and deserve to be a priority. Just “get back on the horse” tomorrow. You don’t have to wait until Monday or the first of the month to get back on track. Do it now!
It’s about consistency. Six months is going to pass by whether you work on your goal or not. Don’t let it pass by without any progress, even just a little. Hold yourself accountable. Tell someone about your goal. Tell your spouse, child, best friend, parent, anyone. Anyone that will ask you about from time to time. Join a Facebook group. Set progress tracking reminders on your phone or use an app.
CELEBRATE!
Don’t save the celebration for the end. Celebrate along the way. You finished the first module? Watch a movie instead tonight. Finished the first 5 chapters of your book? Go get your nails done. Learned a new skill to decorate that cake? Invite your friend over to eat the cake with you. Keep yourself motivated by celebrating your progress!
My goal is to write 2 blogs per week. What’s your goal? Tell me in the comments. Let’s help each other stay accountable and on track. Don’t wait. Take that first step today!
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