Goal setting ISN'T just for the New Year!!

Merriam-Webster defines a goal as, "the end toward which effor is directed". The end of a month is the perfect time for setting new goals and committing to a healthier YOU. Many people only set goals for themselves at the start of the new year, but why wait another 3 months when you can start making changes now!? Goals should provide you with guidance and direction, setting you on a path for success. Goals that are too vague - lose weight, eat healthier, get more sleep - will not be likely to lead you toward success. Taking a few minutes of your time to create effective goals ahead of time will lead you in the right direction in the future.
To set goals that will keep you focused and motivated through your endeavor, use the acronym S.M.A.R.T.. This system of goal setting will work with any type of not not just those that are health-related. S.M.A.R.T. is an acronym that describes the different characteristics a goal statement shold have to increase your probability of success. The acronym has several different variations depending on the circumstances around which to goals are derived. Here are a few variations:

• S - specific, significant, stretching
• M - measurable, meaningful, motivational
• A - attainable, achievable, agreed upon, acceptable, action-oriented
• R - reasonable, relevant, realistic, rewarding, results-oriented
• T - timely, time-based, trackable

Steps to setting S.M.A.R.T. goals:
1. Be Specific
Start with a general idea for your goal. For example, "I want to run more". This goal is very vague but can be made more specific by answering a few questions, a.k.a. "W-questions".

• Who: Who is involved? "I..."
• What: What do I want to accomplish? "...want to be able to run a 5K in 28 minutes..."
• When: When do you want to accomplish this goal? "...by the end of October..."
• Why: Why to you want to accomplish this goal? "...so I can be healthier and more fit."
• Which: Which way are you going to do this? "...by running for 45 minutes 4 days a week..."
• Where: Where are you going to execute your plan? "...outside or on the indoor track..."

Now put your goal statement together. I want to run a 5K in 28 minutes by the end of October so I can be healthier and more fit. I will accomplish this by running for 45 minutes, 4 times a week either outside or on the indoor track.

2. Make your goals Measurable
So once you have put your plan into action, how will you know that your actions are leading you in the right direction. Measuring your progress is important and even small changes will help to keep you motivated. Using my example above, you could keep a exercise journal and track your time and distance each day that you run throughout the month.

3. Set Attainable Goals
Setting unrealistic goals will set you up for failure from the start. Your goal should be something that is attainable but not so simple that you don't have to challenge yourself to reach the goal. Setting a goal that you cannot accomplish will leave you discouraged and unmotivated to pursue other goals. For example, if you have never trained for or ran a race before and you set your goal at 15 minutes for the 5K, this is an unattainable goal.

4. Set Reasonable Goals
So our goal of running a 5K in 28 minutes by the end of October is definitely an attainable goal. This goal can become unreasonable for you in the method that you use for your training. "I will run 12 miles everyday until the end of October" is an unreasonable way to acheive your goal. Do you really have time to run 12 miles everyday? Can you even run 12 miles? You have a slim chance of sticking to an unreasonable plan and you be very unlikely to accomplish your goal. Be reasonable and realistic when setting up a plan for your goal. Sit down and ask yourself if this is a plan that you can really stick to and make time for.

5. Set a Time-frame for your Goals
There's no sense in setting goals without a deadline. Just as your homework assignments have due dates, your goal sould have an end date. Our goal statement has a end date of the end of Ocotber. So this means that by October 31st our runner should be able to log in his or her exercise journal a 5K run time of 28 minutes.

Remember, the S.M.A.R.T. system of setting goals can be used for any type of goal whether it is related to your career, finances, education, personal relationships, etc. Make sure that you write your goals down somewhere that you will be likely to see them everyday. Also, sharing your goals with someone will give you a higher chance of actually accomplishing them. Now that you know how to set a S.M.A.R.T. goal, try it out yourself! I would love to hear what your goals are, not only for the month of October, but also for the rest of 2011.

"Many people fail in life, not for lack of ability or brains or even courage, but simply because they have never organised their energies around a goal."  - Elbert Hubbard