Reach Your Goals & Have Fun Doing So — It Is Possible

Get SMART A blogging friend, Nneka wrote a post about making SMART goals (if you don’t know about this acronym yet, read her post). I have two points to add based on my experience of coaching others (and myself) to set and enjoyably achieve important goals.

Instead of “attainable” which I think is a close cousin of “realistic,” I encourage my clients to write “action-oriented” steps such as “Call one friend a day to walk with me,” or “Acknowledge myself out loud at least once daily.” I find many people write down steps that aren’t actually do-able. If it’s not something you can physically, mentally, or emotionally accomplish, make it concrete so you’ll know when it’s done.

Catapult yourself to more joy in working toward your goals by making them “SMARTI” goals. This adds a final step, the “I,” which stands for “intention” or one’s purpose for working toward a goal. Many of us put goals on our list thinking we “should” accomplish them or that it will be “good for us.” I’ve found a higher success rate when people have a deeply meaningful reason for setting a goal in the first place.

For instance, I’m currently working on selling at least 4,000 copies of my new book, I Do! I Do! The Marriage Vow Workbook, by the end of 2006. Although I think that’s an important goal, when I hit the challenging days, I need something more significant to keep me going. So I, along with my husband and coauthor, Bruce, wrote up our intentions behind this goal. These intentions (shown below) speak to our larger purposes in life and therefore help sustain our enthusiasm when sometimes the actual book sales goal fails to inspire us.

We support conscious couples to create distinctive, eloquent, and inspiring marriage/commitment vows and, out of those vows, cultivate enduring relationships that are truly ideal for them.

We authentically share who we are and the gifts we offer in a manner that is readily accessible and that builds bonds of trust with those who seek what we offer.

We help shift from the dominant cultural paradigm toward one of greater love, connection, and compassion.

I welcome your thoughts on SMART or SMARTI goals. Any suggestions you have used to make accomplishing your goals fun are especially welcome!

Filed under: Self-empowerment, Inspiration by Shonnie on September 22, 2006 |

4 Comments »

Thanks for the mention.

Your posts are so meaty and well thought out. I also love that you blog about relationships and your business is around conscious couples. We need more of that in the world.

Keep up the good work

Comment by Nneka — September 22, 2006 @ 3:07 pm
As well as all those maybe we could turn it into SMART’R with the “R” standing for reasons. Reasons are important too and I think that the reasons that one decides to create any sort of goal, with passion, feeling, and intensity, adds a lot of power to the overall results!

What do you think?

Comment by Amit — September 25, 2006 @ 7:09 pm
Actually in my mind I would say that “reasons” are synonymous with “intention” or even “purpose.” Basically, a vital part of making goal achievement fun and effective is identifying the underlying inspiration for having that goal. As I think you were suggesting Amit, reasons or intentions that fill you with excitement and passion (because you love yourself or want to take care of yourself in a certain way, for instance) are going to elicit much different energies (and results) than if your “fuel” is to prove yourself, impress others, or to avoid failure.

That’s what I think. Any other ponderings anyone wants to post?

Comment by Shonnie — September 25, 2006 @ 7:32 pm
[…] Know your SMARTI goals (read this post if you’re not sure if your goals are SMARTI or not). Knowing what you’re going for in terms of tangible results is critical. […]

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