Goals are essential because without a plan to put into action, your goal becomes an unattainable wish. How many times have you said, “I wish I was in better shape” or “I wish I could run a 5K like my friends.” Wishing will not make it so. You need to step into action! S.M.A.R.T. goals help by giving you an action plan that is achievable.
I had a client, Jane, who really wanted to get in great shape and to train for a half marathon. She printed our Mama Bootcamp half-marathon training plan and told her coach she was going to implement it into her schedule. A day went by and then a week and then months passed. The race came and went. Jane felt like a failure and beat herself up. She told me, “I don’t know why I even try. I will never be a runner.” She continued the negative self-talk and eventually stopped trying.
By not having a detailed plan that worked for her life and her schedule, she never implemented her training plan. It is so important to be specific on the steps you need to be successful. For Jane, she needed to commit to the days, times and places she was going to run and put them on her calendar. There was no detailed plan; no call to action.
Jane came back months later and decided to sit down with her coach and go over her calendar. We worked on time management and decided early morning runs were best. She asked her neighbor who had expressed an interested in also running a half marathon to train with her. They committed to each other to meet Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays at 5 am and run for thirty minutes. At the end of each run, Jane agreed to text me for accountability and progress reports. With her big goal and clear S.M.A.R.T. goals, Jane found the motivation and the accountability she needed to do the training and run in her first half-marathon! It was a huge confidence boost, too.
Remember, if your goal does not scare you a little, then it’s not a big enough goal. So, think big or even bigger.
It may be time to fill out a new goal sheet. Here is one for you. Goal Setting Worksheet