Thessalonian Faith

SMART Goals

What is a Goal?

  • An idea of the future or desired result that a person envisions, plans and commits to achieve.
  • Something desired, yet often challenging to attain. 
  • What you want to become.

Common goal-setting mistakes:

Not Setting Personal Goals:

  • Do you know where you’d like to be in six months? What about this time next year, or even 10 years from now? If not, it’s time to set some personal goals!
  • Personal goal setting is essential to managing your time well, because goals give you a destination and vision to work toward. When you know where you want to go, you can manage your priorities, time, and resources to get there. Goals also help you decide what’s worth spending your time on, and what’s just a distraction.

Failing to Keep a To-Do List:

  • Use a to-do list to keep on top of things.
  • The trick with using to-do lists effectively lies in prioritizing the tasks on your list.
  • Make sure that you break large tasks or projects down into specific, actionable steps – then you won’t overlook something important.

What is a SMART Goal?

  • A simple way to define a goal you can achieve.
  • The real beauty lies in its ability to make even the biggest goals attainable so that you can make your dreams a reality.
  • SMART Goals are:
    • Specific
    • Measurable
    • Achievable
    • Relevant
    • Time-bound

Why Use SMART Goals?

  • Adding (and adhering to) the SMART goals framework makes reaching your goal much more achievable and can fuel extraordinary accomplishments.  Put another way, setting a SMART goal, instead of just a general goal, can be the difference between your success or failure.
  • Setting SMART goals means you can clarify your ideas, focus your efforts, use your time and resources productively, and increase your chances of achieving what you want in life.
  • Research shows that specific goals will make you three times more likely to achieve your goals. 

The Importance of SMART Goal Setting:

  • Often, individuals will set themselves up for failure by setting general or unrealistic goals such as “I want to be the best at X.” This goal is vague, with no sense of direction.
  • SMART goals set you up for success by making goals Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. 
  • The SMART goal method helps push you further, gives you a sense of direction, and helps you organize and reach your goals.

How do I write a SMART goal plan?

  • Start by asking exactly what you need to accomplish. This will make your goal Specific.
  • Quantify your goals. Measurable goals are easier to track, so include milestones.
  • Your goal should be Achievable. Is this something you can do with the resources currently available?
  • Think why you’re setting this goal. How will it improve your life? This is what makes it Relevant.
  • Know exactly when you’ll have reached your goal. Have a firm Time-bound schedule, and stick to it.

When it comes to writing SMART goals, ask a lot of questions, use concise language and include relevant information. The answers will help fine-tune your strategy and ensure the goals are something that’s actually attainable.

Example #1:

Simple Goal:

I want to be more spiritual.

SMART Goal Components:

  • Specific: I want to better myself by starting a daily spiritual practice.
  • Measurable: I will journal about my practice every day.
  • Achievable: I can set aside time to journal every day, and join a faith community to help hold me accountable.
  • Relevant: This will allow me to live the better quality of life I’ve always wanted.
  • Time-bound: I’ll start my journey on January 1st and will track my progress for a year, after which I’ll evaluate my progress.

Complete SMART Goal statement:

On January 1st, I’ll begin my daily spiritual practice and participate in a faith community. I’ll journal daily to track my progress for one year, after which I’ll evaluate how far I’ve come.

Example #2:

Simple Goal:

I want to start a gratitude journal.

SMART Goal Components:

  • Specific: I’ll learn to be more grateful in life by writing in my gratitude journal every day.
  • Measurable: I will write ‌three things I’m grateful for every night in my journal and track my progress.
  • Achievable: It will only take me 5 minutes before bed.
  • Relevant: I want to be happier and more grateful in my life.
  • Time-bound: I will write in my gratitude journal every night for three months starting tomorrow.

Complete SMART Goal statement:

I’ll become more grateful by writing my gratitudes every night for three months, tracking my progress. After three months, I’ll decide if I should keep this practice as a mainstay in my life.