Nomad 365 Club: Month 2: GOALS
Setting Goals That Actually Matter
"The only limit to the height of your achievements is the reach of your dreams and your willingness to work for them." — Michelle Obama
Take a moment and think about the greatest achievement you wish to accomplish. Can you see it? When you close your eyes and envision yourself reaching this feat, do you ever take the time to think about who you must become in order to get there? That transformation doesn't happen by accident, it happens through intentional direction.
This past month we focused on your "why". What drives you. But drive without direction is just spinning wheels. Now that you have the motivation to move, it's time to give that drive somewhere to go. It's time to set goals that don't just move you forward, but transform you in the process. This is where wise goal setting comes into play. A goal, by definition, is "the end toward which effort is directed." Having a goal post set gives you a clearer direction on where you need to steer your efforts. That drive you have inside you needs a clear place to go. And it would be in your best interest to be smart about the goal(s) that you set this year.
There's a popular framework around goal setting called "SMART goals." The acronym stands for setting a goal that is
Specific
Measurable
Achievable
Relevant, and
Time-bound.
Let's walk through this for a moment.
Your goals shouldn't be vague or open-ended. The more specific the goal, the clearer your plan to accomplish it can be. It should be measurable. You should be able to know if you actually attained your goal or not. Next, it should be achievable. I'm not saying your goal should be easy, but it should be something that, with hard work and dedication, you can visualize yourself arriving at. Then there's relevance. Make your goal relevant to what's actually important to you in your life. Does it align with your core values and the future you see for yourself? And make your goal time-bound. Set a deadline for your goal. This provides a sense of urgency to seeing your goal through. If you don't set a deadline, your goal could float out in the ethos indefinitely.
Let me give you an example of a SMART goal. Ted, who desires to make the basketball team next year, knows a weakness of his is shooting and making free throws. So Ted sets a goal that by the end of next month, he will be able to make 20 free throws in a row. To reach this goal, every weekday after school he goes to the park by his house and shoots no less than 50 free throws a day. He watches tutorial videos online about shooting techniques and asks his best friend to run drills with him a couple times a week. Ted has set a specific and relevant goal that he can measure, with a deadline of when he wishes to achieve it by. Achieving this goal will help get Ted closer to a bigger goal of making the basketball team, and is something within his control to actualize.
An additional feat I'd like to point out that Ted may not even be aware of while he's pursuing this target, is that by working toward this goal, he is becoming more disciplined, a wiser player, and is already setting a standard of the type of work ethic it takes to be a better basketball player. If Ted does indeed make the team next year, he will be that much stronger of an addition to the team and will be ready for the commitment being a team player requires.
What's a SMART goal that you will set for yourself this year? What can you set to achieve by the end of our time together in the 365 club? And what's the plan you can set in place for yourself to support this goal and see it come true?
“A sluggard’s appetite is never filled, but the desires of the diligent are fully satisfied.”
This is the time for you to channel your drive in a deliberate way and set your sights on something great that you can actualize. And in my opinion, the key isn't setting your primary focus on the goal itself, but locking in on the process to get there. THIS is what will determine your progression. The process is where the magic happens, where the lessons are learned, and where the most important gems are picked up along the way. When you dedicate yourself to the process, you will come out the other side wiser, stronger, more equipped, and better off than when you started.
I'm sure you can come up with a goal for this year, but I'd like to raise an arguably even more important question: Who is this better version of yourself, whom you must become in order to get there? There's an upgraded version of you waiting toward the finish line of that goal you desire to obtain. And whether or not you even reach or surpass this goal, I believe that person will meet you with open arms along the way.
This is the soundtrack to your journey this year. Every month there will added tracks for you to play whenever you want. This is just for you with a new track included.
