Setting Smart Goals Today for a Brighter Tomorrow

It is a New Year and it is time to take a look at our goals, reevaluate where we are headed, and reassess our plan. I know for some of us 2023 was a smash and for others, it was a crash and burn. But the great thing about a new year is that we can start fresh, reassess and do it better this time around. Just like Carl said, this is a New Year’s resolution-free zone and we aren’t going to dwell on where we are failing but determine how we can be better. The best action plan for this is to make sure our goals are SMART goals for the coming year. What are SMART goals and how you can make them work for you? The acronym SMART has several slightly different variations, which can be used to provide a more comprehensive definition of a measurable and obtainable goal:

S – specific. What exactly do you want to achieve?
M – measurable. How will you measure your success or failure in this area?
A – actionable. How will you get there? What does the specific road made for incremental actionable activities look like?

R – realistic. Is your goal realistic?

T – time-bound. What is your time limit?

One of the most important things you can do for yourself is to consider where you want to go in life and how you will get there. Many people go through life wandering. Whether you want to just figure out how to get that promotion at work or to build a 6-figure Beachbody business a plan and a roadmap are a must.

To begin I suggest creating a list or dream board of where you want to see yourself in life in the coming year. Your dream board should include the 4 quadrants of life: relationships, business, finance, and personal spiritual growth. Once you have a solid idea of what your vision is for each area then the work begins.

How can you get there? Where are you now and where are you wanting to go? Take it slow and look at one quadrant at a time. For example in your relationships, you may want to be a better mom or dad, son or daughter, or be a better husband or wife. What does this look like? Well, it may be that you spend more time invested in this area or that the time you do spend is more focused. How can you measure this goal? You want to make it quantitative. Using our example of relationships you can say, I would like to spend 2 hours a week focused on my marriage.

Continuing on with our example it would begin to take shape like this:

S: I want a more intimate relationship with my spouse in the coming year.
M: It is difficult to “measure” intimacy so be careful around tricky areas but you can say: Do we feel closer? Are we able to talk to each other more freely? Are there fewer misunderstandings in our communication?
A: To increase one on one time each week by 2 hours. This should include talking more, taking walks, and having a weekly date night.
R: This is a realistic goal in 1 year.
T: The time will be limited to one year.

At the end of the 1-year mark, I will check my progress but that isn’t good enough. Each quarter I need to do a reassessment of my progress. Am I doing the actionable steps consistently to hit my goal? Are they working or do I need to revise my plan?

In each of the 4 quadrants of your list, you will want to create these SMART goals. Then on your phone or calendar set an alarm to review them either monthly or quarterly to check your progress.

If you do this one simple task for yourself in 2023 then your year will be much more productive and you will end the year on a foot of success.

If you did this in 2022 then how can you really push in 2023? You can do more, be more and push yourself harder to greatness. What does that look like for you?

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