What are smart goals?

Set smart goals you care about, that’s what I say. George T. Doran first proposed the term S.M.A.R.T. goals in the November 1981 issue of Management Review. He suggested that goals should be SMART: 

* Specific – targeting a specific area for improvement.

* Measurable – quantifying or at least suggesting an indicator of progress.

* Achievable – attainable and not impossible to achieve.

* Realistic – state what results can realistically be achieved, given available resources.

* Time-related – specify when and who can achieve the results.

That’s all good for management review, but I’d prefer to take it more personally if you don’t mind. In the vain of leading yourself first, the above criteria are important and relevant when setting goals for yourself, but they are not enough.

If you want to achieve your goals, you have to be emotionally attached to them. So in this sense, you are going beyond smart to set goals you care about.

Why being emotionally attached to your goals is vital?

“Training is elective; with rare exceptions, we are not running to earn our next paycheck, which is all the more reason that emotional engagement is a key part of training. You choose to lace up your shoes, head out the door, and put in the miles. This ritual is a daily reminder of what you are ultimately training for and serves to reinforce the emotional engagement you have with your goals.”

Jason Koop -Training essentials for ultrarunning

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