S.M.A.R.T Goals

 

Mark Kirsch pulls an HC-130 Combat King

(U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Joshua J. Garcia/Released)



It’s that time of year when promises to your-self are made that this year will be THE year, of New Year’s resolutions realized, and permanent change. Only there’s a nagging sense at the back of the mind that perhaps it’s not going to be THE year, that this year will be like any other year and that no, nothing lasting will occur. Yes, attempts will be made, projects will be started and plans will be adhered to, but for how long will that initial enthusiasm last? For most people, the ones that actually commit to a plan of some sort, as opposed to those who don’t even bother setting milestones for themselves, that initial momentum will last from several days, to several weeks. The exceptionally determined could even go for a couple of months, and the distant minority that are truly exceptional, land deep in the struggle after the initial enthusiasm wanes and through nothing but dogged persistence, struggle onwards to realize their goals and experience the satisfaction of accomplishing what they had set out to achieve. My question is, as always, what are your goals, and are you the exception?

 

I ask those two questions simply because like anything, you need something to aim at, and it also determines how you will get there. As the saying goes that if you aim at nothing you will hit nothing, so is this true in our lives. Most people do nothing and stay within their comfort zone. And the following question, of one being the exception, I ask because people generally over-expect what they can achieve in the short-term and under-estimate what they can accomplish in the long-term. It seems a clear structure for goal-setting is required. Enter S.M.A.R.T. Goals. There’s gonna be a lot of these around this time of year, so I’ll give you my take. So, what are SMART goals? Let’s review.

 

SMART stands for; Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time.

 

Specific-

What is the goal? How much of what it is you want to achieve and by when?

Increasing your Bench Press 1RM from 100kg to 180kg by 28^thFeb is specific. Upping your bench and looking a stud is admirable, but is not specific.

 

Measurable-

How are you tracking your progress? Will you have milestones? If you are off track, will you be able to adjust your plan?

Can you find a pharmacist with enough drugs to keep your Bench moving?

 

Achievable-

Can anyone actually add 80kg to their 1RM to any lift in 8 weeks? There might be one or two individuals among Earth’s 7 billion population, but let me ask you, are you the exception- that one in a billion?

 

Realistic-

Adding 80kg to someone’s Bench is entirely possible.

 

Timely-

Just not in 8 weeks.

 

I have nothing against peeps upping their Bench. I do have a problem with a common approach to goal-setting. Most people aim for the stars and state a goal and get specific and determine when they want it by and so on, but is it realistic? For most people no. I also don’t like restricting anybody in anyway, unless absolutely necessary. So we’re at a stalemate?

 

My approach is, set some truly amazing goals, ones that you would never truly expect to reach. Ones that make you giddy just thinking that if you actually achieved them you'd be in disbelief. Make them so huge, amazing and unreachable that you probably may never get there. Then set yourself baby-step goals to reach those enormous goals. Want to increase your Bench to 300kg? You scoff. Why not? Start by going to the gym. That’s your first goal. Turn up regularly and consistently, week in and week out. Aim for a 1x bodyweight Bench, and take it from there. Then learn as much as you can. Listen to coaches and lifters with massive Bench numbers. Study those who came before you. Take stock of where you are and every now and then reset your goals.

 

Use the SMART goals to formulate some big dreams and plans, but then step back and set smaller goals to get you there. The big plans I wouldn’t fuss too much over when you reach them, just have them sitting in the background, and focus on the smaller steps. The smaller and more immediate the goal, the more specific you need to be. SMART goals are a good template, but I prefer leaving some blanks. Maybe I’m not decided on what specific is, but I know I want to achieve something by a certain date, or I have a definite plan but I’m not sure if it’s realistic. Leaving a blank removes a lot of pressure. Sometimes one can bite off more than they can chew, and give up. What if one bites of a lot and get pretty close to finishing it? That’s what I aim at.

 

Remember, the world doesn’t hold you back, only you hold yourself back by the perceptions you have of yourself and the world. Aim high, aim long, trust you will get there, and then do something about it.