top of page

start SMART


Can you believe it's almost 2018? With the new year coming 'round the mountain there's all kinds of inspiration - or for some of us, pressure - to make the perfect resolutions for self-improvement.

Our society - American society - loves goals. How many times have you heard the phrase "shoot for the moon and you'll land among the stars"? We are taught from a young age to dream big. But dreaming big isn't enough. We need more.

Goal setting is incredibly important - but sometimes when we set our goals we end up shooting ourselves in the foot before we take the first step. Goals are often too abstract or simply unrealistic and do not translate easily into a plan of action. So how do we avoid falling into this trap?

We set SMART goals.

 

SMART goals are used all the time in the therapy world and beyond. I've seen them used in the business sector and in education - and I'm certain they're used in other sectors as well. They're really handy.

SMART is an acronym - specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. Let's walk through it.

Specific -

Your goals should target a specific area of improvement. The more specific the better. For example, you may have the overarching goal of growing in your relationship with God - and that's great - but it's a bit vague. On a day-to-day basis it might be difficult to remember this goal as you make decisions. However, you can make that overarching goal more specific by setting the goal to pray every day after breakfast or read your bible at least 5 days a week before bed. These goals are specific. They laser focus on a single area in order to approve it.

Measurable -

Measurable is similar to specific. You need to be able to determine whether you made progress toward the goal or not. Last year I set the resolution to learn how to play the ukulele. It didn't happen. Why? Well, I think in part it was due to the goal not being measurable. Maybe I learned to play a few chords, but I hadn't learned to play full songs. Does that mean I learned how to play? Well... Kind of. A better goal would be to learn how to play 5 songs on the ukulele before the end of the year. That way I know where my finish line is and whether or not I'm on the right track.

Achievable -

Your goals need to be realistic. This takes some solid self-reflection skills - skills that I don't always possess. Is this goal actually achievable?

Last year I also set the resolution to do something creative every day. That sounds great. In an ideal world, it would have been great. But "doing something creative every day" did not account for days where I would be laid out sick or caught up writing 30 page research papers or traveling all day. It just wasn't realistic to expect myself to do something creative every single day. It would be better to set the goal of doing something creative at least 3 days a week.

Another way people make their goals unachievable is to expect themselves to go from 0 to 60 in a matter of days. If you are not used to working out, it might not be the best idea to set the resolution of working out 5 days a week. The likelihood of burnout is pretty high. It's better to start with small, achievable goals than to shoot too high and burnout in the process. I'm really, really bad about this. When I start something, I want to go at it as hard as I can and immediately be the best. Then, I get frustrated and hopeless when that doesn't happen. Start small. Baby steps. There's no shame in the process.

Relevant -

Is your resolution relevant to your every day life? You could set the resolution to learn how to code - but if you don't own the proper equipment and don't use computers that much then what's the chance that you will actually follow through on that resolution? It would be neat to know how to code, absolutely, but it might not be relevant to your life. This was me with learning the ukulele. It would be neat to know how to play, and I definitely still intend to learn, but with my busy schedule and hectic lifestyle it just wasn't relevant enough to stick around. When life got crazy and stressful it was one of the first things to go. Relevant goals will stick with you through the hard times.

Time-bound -

Your resolutions should have an end date. Not necessarily that you will stop participating in the activity at that time, but that you will have made the desired improvement by that time. For example, if you made the resolution to pray every day after you eat breakfast for the next month, that doesn't mean to stop praying once the month is out. The goal is to have made prayer a daily habit by the time the month is out.

When we have an end date, then we know what we're working toward. We are less likely to procrastinate away our goals saying "I can start tomorrow".

 

So that's all good and well. But what does the Bible have to say about goals? What does God tell us about our goals?

A lot.

When you stop and think about it, the Bible is a plan of action for how to best spend our time on this Earth.

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work."

2 Tim 3:16-17

I always like to think about the Bible like a rubric for a class. Have you ever had a class where there wasn't a rubric, or where the rubric wasn't clear? It's maddening. God gives us his word so that we can have specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, time-bound goals. We don't have to flounder around trying to figure out our own way.

God even lays out a plan for us. Take a look.

For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

2 Peter 1:5-8

I find so much encouragement from this scripture. I don't know about you, but sometimes I can get bogged down by how imperfect I am. I feel like I need to be awesome at all areas of my spiritual life all the time. And in an ideal world, yeah that would be great. But we are flawed and broken - not ideal. God understands that. God gives us a plan for specific, achievable, relevant, progressive growth. Baby steps. Sure these things aren't the most measurable or time-bound, but we can find creative ways to make them so. God gives us an action plan and we can make it work for our lives.

 

The new year is an inspiring, motivating time. Let's make the best of it.

I'll see you soon.

bottom of page