Hi friends!
The other day, our team here at Thrive Plant Co. were talking about the progress we’ve made and how we got to this point. What started out as an idea has turned into a tangible product that we’re so proud of. The idea seemed lofty at first, but we broke it down and took the time to set concrete goals. We worked away at hitting those goals and setting new ones along the way which made us realize just how important goal setting has been to us. Its human nature to want to accomplish, change, or improve in our life, and the best way to make sure you’re successful is to set goals.
The ability to set good goals is a skill. Sure, you could set the goal to run a 10k race, but that’s pretty vague. How are you going to monitor your progress to make sure you’re successfully working towards it? By following the SMART principle, you’ll have a detailed goal which you can track progress towards.
SMART is an acronym to guide some key criteria when setting your goals. When thinking of your next goal, make sure it is: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-bound. Let’s break this down a little further:
Specific make sure the goal isn’t vague.
Measurable without a trackable measure, it’ll be challenging to know how you’re doing.
Attainable the goal should be realistic and safely attainable. If the goal is not truly attainable, you are more likely to fail and feel disappointed.
Relevant the goal should relate to your life and match your values and overall ambitions. This will ensure it matters to you to stay on track.
Time-bound make sure there’s a timeframe attached to your goal to stay motivated and focused on being successful.
Now, we can apply the SMART principle to the goal of running a 10k race:
Specific I will follow the training guide I received from the local running club, running three to four times per week (as prescribed in the training guide).
Measurable I will use my FitBit to track my training runs and record the distances of each, making sure I’m increasing the distance as outlined in the guide.
Attainable I have run a 10k in the past and am in good physical health to start this training. I also have the free time in my week to dedicate to training.
Relevant I enjoy running and want to challenge my fitness and health this year.
Time-bound The race I want to do is 5 months away.
Setting detailed goals is a skill that can be used at any point throughout the year. It’s important to take the time during the year to check in on your goals and see how you’re doing. If you’ve checked them all off, that’s amazing and gives you the chance to set new goals! It’s also possible that factors in your life changed and the goals you set are no longer attainable or relevant. That’s totally fine, life is dynamic, and we can’t predict the future, especially if your goal has a long timeframe. Pivot and create new goals that match your current life path.
As we move through the year, we hope you take the time to set some goals. Whether they’re health, fitness, personal, or business focused, it’s a great boost to your self-esteem to be working towards something important… and even better when you hit that achievement.
As always, thanks for stopping by!