Around a month ago I started running, and quickly realised that I am very unfit! After about a week or two of running I realised that I was making some progress and direction and so decided to set a goal - ‘I want to run 10kms non stop, by the end of 2018’. I can currently run about 5km, and thought 10km was a good aim. Without even realising it I had set myself a ‘SMART’ goal (something I learnt about back in school many years ago!). Today I thought I would share the concept of SMART goals are and how they lead to successful outcomes (and what success actually is…!)

The concept of smart goals

Specific

The first criteria for a smart goal is that it is specific - well defined (rather than vague). So rather than stating I want to run far in the future, I have defined the distance I want to run and put a time constraint on this. This goal is also specific to me, as I defined the goal with ‘I’, rather than we or them.

Measureable

Measurable means that there should be some quantifiable metric to which you can measure the success of your goal - usually in the form of ‘how much’ or ‘how many’. In my case the measurable factor is the ‘10kms’ as this can be easily tracked and measured - especially now with GPS run trackers such as Runkeeper.

Achievable

I think this is where alot of people fail with goal setting - they set goals that are completely out of their reach and unrealistic. For me for example if I set a goal to run a marathon, when I can currently only run 5km then this seems unrealistic (at least in the short term…). Try and make your goal a challenge - something that will test you and won't be too easy, but also make sure that it isn't beyond the realms of your abilities.

Realistic

Being realistic fits in with the last criteria of being achievable. It is realistic that I will be able to run 10kms by the end of the year, but unrealistic that I will be running a marathon by then!

Some schools of thought also refer to the r in SMART goals as being relevant. Being relevant is about whether the goal fits within your life - are your motivated and the right person to achieve this goal? Is it related to your other goals in life? For example I have a goal of running 10kms by the end of the year and I start another goal of wanting to eat 10 big macs a day until the end of the year, then this isn’t relevant and wont help me achieve my first goal.

Time bound

Being time bound means that there is an ‘end date’ to your goal - for example ‘I want to achieve my goal by this date’. Otherwise I could just say ‘I want to run 10kms’ - and this doesn't make me accountable because there is no time frame for achieving my goal.

Chunking

I came across the concept of ‘chunking’ on a Youtube video recently, and applies to goal setting and has helped me move towards my goals. Essentially the idea behind chunking is that you break down a bigger goal into smaller and more achievable goals. In essence you are taking things ‘step by step’ rather than approaching the overall goal.

For example when I go running I usually set an aim for the day - for example ‘I want to run 5kms today’. From there I often break it down km by km - this is especially helpful if you are still new to running (Like me!) - every km you run is one closer to your goal.

What is success?

Success (for me anyway) has always been such a personal and abstract concept - what can be seen as success to one person might not be so to another. I do think that to much of being 'successful' is pinned around financial success. People who have made millions of dollars are usually perceived as successful, but I don' think this is always the case.

Success is being able to set goals, and achieve them, and to always be challenging yourself. For some people there goals will be around money, and if they achieve these goals then yes I would see them as successful - but others (like me) have many other goals they want to achieve (such as I have stated above).

I challenge you to challenge your own views about success, and try out using SMART goals.

Thanks for reading!