WHAT IS LIFE COACHING?
A Chance to MOT your life
Blog 2/3
In the first Life Coaching session, I invite clients to explain any work or personal issues they bring to coaching and then turn the issues into positive goals for the future. Life Coaching may involve several coaching tools.
How SMART are your goals?
This blog looks at one of the key tools for achieving goals – how to set goals the SMART way.
A major reason people don’t achieve their goals is that their goals are not very SMART! Of course there are often other factors such as lack of organisation, lack of motivation and lack of confidence, but setting SMART goals means you are far more likely to achieve them.
So what is SMART?
S is for specific. You will probably set some goals during the year or have some set for you by work, college or professional body. Your goals might include:
- to be happier
- to increase your general knowledge
- to enjoy more rewarding relationships
- to be lose weight
- to learn another language
- to go travelling
- to be healthier
- to be wealthier!
While these may seem to be goals, they are too general and are more like broad topics. After all, what exactly does happiness mean for you? What is meant by fitter, fitter than what precisely? Having an undefined goal is going to make it hard reach.
So be precise. If you want to lose weight, how much, a kilo, 5 kilo, 10 kilo? What language inspires you; what is your motivation to learn it?
In the words of Stephen Covey: “Where you’re headed is more important than how fast you’re going”
M is for measurable. It’s one thing to set a goal, but important too that you know when you’ve reached it. You will know if your goal is specific enough. If you clarify “well-informed”, for example, to be aware of the top 3 main issues in the daily news or to save £500 a month to invest, you will know when you’ve arrived at your goal. To be truly measurable, your goal will involve something quantifiable, against which you can measure your progress towards your goal. Does your goal include number?
A is for achievable. It’s great to dream and dreams shape our goals. However, if your goal is unrealistic you might end up fighting against the wind and feeling demoralised. What skills, knowledge and resources do you need? If you don’t have them, how and when will you acquire them? How will this affect your achievement date? So think carefully about the goal you set: put the pole at a challenging level that fires your ambition but not so high that you won’t clear it no matter how hard you work. SMART goals must be worthy of your effort and motivating to achieve.
R is for realistic How realistic is the goal in terms of being a fit with your career and your lifestyle? Can you do it within the time frame you’ve allowed? Are you committed? Will you set regular time aside? Will it conflict with the hours you work? Being realistic is not to deny your dreams – we can often turn our dreams to realities by planning, careful goal setting and commitment.
“Go gently with great goals; take lots of sure-footed steps to get there,
instead of attempting one giant leap!” (Lucy Seifert)
R is also for relevant, results-driven and rewarding, relevant in that it fits with your wider goals in life and work, results-driven so that you can see the outcomes of attaining your goals and rewarding – that it brings a positive benefit for you…and for others!
T is for Timed. Set time to achieve it, diarising the times when you’ll work towards it, taking into account your roles and responsibilities personally and professionally. It is important it is a fit with your work-life balance. Having a specific date to work towards will give you challenge and motivation; it will encourage you to make action plans and stick to them. Think about when you will review your progress. Setting a time for this allows you to take action in order to keep on track with achieving your goal.
A SMART Brainteaser
Can you turn these not-so-smart goals into SMART goals?
- To move out of London ………………………………………………….
- To increase your clients ………………………………………………….
- To improve your education ………………………………………………….
Now, apply the SMART principle to your own goals. Choose one now, entering the SMART content below:
- Specific —————————————————————————–
- Measurable —————————————————————————–
- Achievable —————————————————————————–
- Relevant/realistic —————————————————————————–
- Timed —————————————————————————–
Working towards your goal embraces many skills that Life Coaching can help with including time management, assertiveness and confidence. Many people find that progressing their goals is a motivating and rewarding experience.
My next blog – the last in this series of ‘What is Life Coaching’ – will explore another coaching tool. In the meantime, please follow me on Twitter for daily tips and advice and personal development topics.
