BE THE GOOD, Self-Improvement - January 19, 2018

3 Steps to Achieve Any Goal

It's the start of the new year and like many of you, we are reflecting on the past year and making goals for the future.

At IZZAROO, we are all about improving family life through more play, creativity, exploring and doing good together. Whether your goals involve being more intentional with your family or working more efficiently so you have extra time for family - we want to help you achieve them!

Have you ever made goals in the past that have been so vague that they're forgotten soon afterwards? I've been there, too. It wasn't until I discovered S.M.A.R.T. goals that I was able to achieve big (long-awaited) goals in my life.

I'm here to share 3 steps you can follow to achieve any goal:

Reflect on the past year
Use the S.M.A.R.T. framework to set your goals
Set up Accountability & Tracking

Step 1: Reflect

Take the time to reflect on your goals and the wins/losses from the past year. We should always celebrate our wins, no matter how small. If you have losses, which we all do, this is a great time to reflect and learn from them as well.

Examples of my wins from last year:

Personal: I trained myself to do an unassisted headstand by practicing every morning.
Family: I created a video documentary of my family's history that was on my to-do list for 10+ years.
Business: I made my dream of starting a business come true. I launched IZZAROO™ last Spring.

Examples of my losses in last year:

Personal: Drink more water and eat healthy
Personal: Finish the books I started.

Looking back at my goals, my wins were specific and clearly defined. As a result, I was able to stay focused and accomplish them. My losses were too vague. I knew I wanted to drink more water, eat healthy and read my books but I didn't have a clear plan on how to accomplish them.

Step 2: S.M.A.R.T. Framework

S.M.A.R.T. is an acronym which stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Timely. Using this framework will help you clarify your ideas and focus your efforts. It will help you manage your time and resources productively to increase your chances of achieving your goals. As an example, I'll show you how to turn a vague goal (Drink more water.) into a S.M.A.R.T. goal.

S - Specific

It's critical that your goal is specific, not general, or else you won't be able to focus your efforts.
Answer these questions to make your goal specific:

What do I want to accomplish?
Why is this goal important?
Who is involved?
Where is it located?
Which resources or limits are involved?

Example: Drink at least 64oz of water a day by using the same water bottle each day. Have the bottle ready in the morning to remind me to drink it. Carry the bottle with me throughout the day to remind me to drink from it.

M - Measurable

Make sure that your goal is measurable.
This will help you meet your deadlines and get excited for your progress.
Answer these questions to make your goal measurable:

How much?
How many?
How will I know when it is accomplished?

Example: The amount I need to drink is 64oz. My water bottle is 25oz which means I need to drink 2.5 bottles each day to reach my daily goal.

A - Achievable

In order to be attainable, your goal needs to be realistic.
It should stretch your abilities but still remain possible.
Answer these questions to make your goal is achievable:

How can I accomplish this goal?
How realistic is the goal, based on other constraints, such as financial factors?

Example: If I drink 1 bottle by the end of breakfast, 1 bottle by the end of lunch and 1 bottle by the end of dinner, I will have exceeded my goal for the day.

R - Relevant

This step is about making sure your goal is meaningful to you, and that it also aligns with other relevant goals.
Check out this blog post I wrote on Fun Ways to Create Meaningful Goals.
Answer these questions to make your goal relevant:

Does this seem worthwhile?
Is this the right time?
Does this match your other efforts/needs?

Example: Drinking enough water each day will keep me from any side effects of being dehydrated and give me energy to fulfill my other goals and responsibilities.

T - Timely

I struggle with letting everyday tasks take priority over my long-term goals and setting SMART goals has helped me stay focused.
Setting a start date and completion date will help you manage your time and give you a deadline to meet and something to work toward.
Answer these questions to make your goal timely:

What can I do today?
What can I accomplish in X months?

Example: Today I will fill my water bottle every night and put it on the table so I am reminded to drink it every morning when I do my morning routine. I will do this for 3 months. By the end of 3 months, this should no longer be a goal, but rather a routine habit.

Step 3: Accountability & Tracking

This is the most important step and where most people fall short of accomplishing their goals. Many times, goals are thought of or written down, but never referenced, tracked or accounted for throughout the year - which leads them to be forgotten and unfulfilled.
It's critical to routinely visualize/read through your goals and keep track of your progress and pivot if necessary.
Answer these questions to make sure you have sufficient accountability and tracking:

Is there a person/group that can help hold me accountable?
What can I do to hold myself accountable?
How can I set up a tracking system to meet my goals?

Example: Every night I will read over my goals and write down how many bottles of water I drank that day.

There you have it. I hope sharing these tips gives you the knowledge and inspiration to achieve your own goals! For some fun ways to brainstorm ideas for new goals head to this blog post for fun ways to create meaningful goals or 100+ bucket list ideas full of fun, adventure and good deeds.

We'd love to hear if these tips helped you set and achieve your goals - please leave your comments below. We'd love to hear from you!

At IZZAROO, our mission is to Be The Good. If you want to spread more goodness into the world, you'll love our collection of Be The Good shirts. 10% of net profits will benefit organizations that empower underprivileged youth.