Ever heard the saying, “A dream written down with a date becomes a goal, A goal broken down into steps becomes a plan, a plan backed by action makes your dreams a reality?”
Sounds simple, doesn’t it. When we sit back, think, and start writing down our goals that lead to our dreams, this is where most get lost.
As a certified Oola life coach, I was attracted to the Oola lifestyle framework due to the simplicity of goal setting. They use the SMART formula created in 1981. We all have dreams that we want to accomplish in life from the time we were kids. The hard part has always been setting realistic goals and taking action steps daily to obtain them.
Setting goals, refining them, and being honest with yourself are critically important steps that will help you create a future life and help you determine the daily action items for getting there.
Below I am giving a quick breakdown of the S.M.A.R.T formula so you can have a better understanding of what it takes to create realistic goals and, most importantly, achieve them.
- Specific – Get specific about your goals. Do your goals contain actual numbers, sizes, amounts? Would it be clear to anyone else and memorable to you?
- Measurable – Are your goals measurable? When you are specific with your goals like above, you can measure whether you’re making progress. Are you behind where you want to be or further along? Only if it’s measurable will you be able to determine when you’ve achieved your goal.
- Accountable – When you get specific, and your goal is measurable, you can now be held responsible for it. Find a support system that will keep you accountable for the goals you have set for yourself. Find a friend, family member, or online group such as Oola. Someone who knows you well enough to be tough on you when needed.
- Realistic – Where dreams are enormous, intangible, and often feel unrealistic, goals need to be set so that they are doable with the resources, knowledge, time, and money you have available or those you could acquire.
- Time-based – The most essential characteristic of a goal is that it includes a date and time by which you’ll achieve the objective. Time-based goals are more likely to be completed and organized.