29 Jan SMART Goals

How do dreams and visions differ from goals?  Dreams and visions are things that we want to obtain or accomplish but have no specific path to accomplish them.  Goals are Dreams and Visions for which we have written concrete steps that will make them become reality.  Just saying that you want to lose weight is not a goal.  That is a dream.  To make it an accomplishable goal see the steps below.

S – Specific – Set a specific amount of weight that you want to lose.  A goal of “losing weight” is too nebulous.

M – Measurable – Goals have to be quantifiable, otherwise, you will not know when they are accomplished.  Weight in lb or kg is very measurable.  Following Body Fat % is measurable.

A – Attainable –  You need to be realistic.  Saying you want to lose 50 lbs in the next 2 weeks is not realistic.  Shoot for 0.05 – 1 lb a week.  You may have an ultimate goal of 50 lbs, but break that down into smaller more attainable goals.

R – Relevant – Obviously the goal has to be pertinent to your larger purpose.  If you are 6’3″ and already weight 150 lbs, losing weight is not a relevant goal.  Focus on the most important things that you need to address first.

T – Time bound – Set a specific time by which you will achieve your goal.

The same SMART process can and should be applied to all goals.

The last tip – write you goal down as defined above.

Here’s to the Journey!

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(David W. Ball, MD, an Internal Medicine physician, founder of NuVitality Health – a wellness education company, and co-founder of Life Changing Fitness – a fitness facility for Every Body)