Personal breakthrough: SMART goal setting

“Success is the progressive realisation of a worthy goal or ideal.”

—Earl Nightingale

Do you want to have a personal breakthrough using SMART goal setting? Do you know how to set up SMART GOALS? Are you wondering where to start? Read through this post and will learn how I had my breakthrough setting SMART goals. You also can do it.

According to this post from medium.com, seven things must happen to have a personal breakthrough:

1. Hit a low point
2. Analyse your story so far
3. Make a decisioN
4. Set a new standard
5. Design your new life
6. Take up three new positive habits
7. Get clear on your why

After reading the previously mentioned article and meditate about the topic, I decided to write about the topic from my personal experience (you can check this link for more information).

My profession is to teach, I’m currently a full-time professor. When we study how to teach, we learn that the first thing one must do when planning a class is to design the learning outcomes (from my perspective, another phrase for SMART goals).

We are taught why it is important to properly design the learning outcomes and, that they are the ones that guide and “states” everything we do in the classroom.

At that moment, one understands why our teachers always showed us somehow, what was expected from us at the end of the lecture/practical/course and also evaluate if we pass or not a specific subject using learning outcomes instead of using contents. This is done in this way because what really matters is what you can do with what you learn, not what you memorised or studied in class.

After this experience, I just come to a simple conclusion, it is more important what you do with what you learn than what you learnt.

It will seem common knowledge, that doing things focusing on SMART goals (learning outcomes) will give very good results.

However, if you ask someone: what do you want to achieve with what you are doing now? Why are you doing it in that specific way? How will you know if you will successfully finish what you are doing? When do you want to finish?

You will be astonished by how many people don’t have a clear answer to those questions.

I honestly believe that the answer to that question lay down in SMART goals.

From now on, I will refer to SMART goals as goals, for me, if it is not SMART is not a goal, it is just something else but not a goal.

From my point of view, a breakthrough suppose to be a fundamental change in the way we do things. It can impact different areas of our life: financial, physical, spiritual, etc. several of them at the same time. After a breakthrough, we will never do things in the way we use to do them, never again.

I will not ask if you want to have a breakthrough, I’ll take a guess: because you are reading this article you want to achieve a breakthrough or you already achieved it (a big congratulations).

Why is SMART goal setting important?

A goal usually gives you direction, it gives you something to target.

In my experience, when you ask someone: which are your current goals? The person has to think before it can answer. He/She is probably creating the goal in his mind at that exact moment.

I encourage you to do this exercise, ask your best friend what are your current goals? Even better, ask yourself what is my current goals?

The usual answer to that question, to a person that is not goal-oriented, it is a dream, not a goal.

Now, let’s look at what is a SMART goal.

What is a SMART goal?

The term SMART goal is widely used around the world. What is important to remember is what is the meaning of SMART. When you start setting goals this way, you will have to think in the five aspects, but as the times goes and you set more and more goals, it will come naturally to you, you won’t have to remember the five aspects of SMART, you will just be able to create the goals without thinking about it.

SMART stands for: 

S – Specific

M– Measurable

A– Achievable

R– Relevant

T– Time constrained

Many resources describe what is the meaning of the above words, how you must write them, for instance using positive sentences as opposed to negative, among many other recommendations.

In my case, the best and easiest way to understand it and not having to spend too much time on it is just looking at the words and asking yourself the right questions:

1. Is my goal specific?
2. Can I measure the results to state if I have achieved the goal?
3. Is it achievable?
4. Is it relevant for me as a person? Does it align with my values and long term goals?
5. By when I have to achieve this goal?

If you can answer all those questions, then you have a goal.

Let me give an example of my last goal: To lose 5 kg or more in 90 days.

Leave your latest goal in the comments, or if you don’t have one yet design one and share it in the comments section.

Setting SMART goals to have a personal breakthrough

For me, setting goals for the most important things I must do in my life, was a breakthrough, and it still happening.

If there is something important for me to achieve, I’ll definitely have a written goal for it.

Every time I think about doing something relevant to me (i.e. learning a new skill), I write down a goal related to what I want to achieve. It helps me to keep myself on track all the time, towards achieving that goal.

Getting used to setting goals is a process, it is not a once-off task you can do and forget about it. Actually, sometimes you have to change the goal you are working on because you learnt something new that shows you a better way to achieve the goal (or a better goal to achieve), or just because now you know, after trying, that the way you plan to achieve the goal it does not work.

When the last happen, it does not mean you were not successful, it means you have to adjust the method and keep trying until you achieve it. To do that, you will have to keep track of your journey toward achieving the goal, so you can understand what worked and what didn’t work, and then make the necessary amendments. 

Remember this, you only fail when you stop trying.

So, did you already decided to start setting your goals? Start with one or two goals, that have a small time-frame. Always keep track of what you are doing to achieve your goals. To keep such records will help you to keep on track, to identify things you are doing wrong and also to be sure of what things are working. In other words, will make your journey towards achieving your goal easier and more satisfying.

My recommendation on goals setting for a personal breakthrough

When we set goals, we do it because we want to achieve something. What we want to achieve is usually related to one or more of the following areas: spiritual, physical, financial, social, family and profession. 

The resource I will recommend in this section is not “purely” about setting goals, but about achieving particular goals that have an impact in one of the areas mentioned above: personal finance. 

I’ve been using this resource for a while, and they helped me to achieve some of my goals, and I’m still using it daily.

One of my goals is related to my finances, to get out of debt and to be financially independent. 

My journey towards this goal, has several stages, one of them was to read about the topic, so I can make an informed decision. In essence, I had to learn what other people did and are still doing and gave them the desired results. 

This first step is closely related to the name of this website – computing learner. Ohh, but this has nothing to do with computing, well, it does. When you learn about computing, you are also learning, you are not just creating new things all the time. Actually, most of the time, we are learning from someone else, someone that already achieved what we want to achieve now.

One of the things that most people who achieve some kind of success in life have in common is that they are willing to learn every day, always open to new knowledge, to new ways of doing things. 

In other words, our mindset needs to be programmed in such a way, that we are always willing to learn, to not be afraid of not knowing something relevant for us, but to be willing to learn it, to be an avid learner, every day, forever. 

Another book that will give you the knowledge, regarding financial goals, and will teach you how money works, is “Rich dad poor dad” by Robert Kiyosaki. This book can really help you to change your mindset, which is the first step to be able to have a breakthrough in your financial life.

I would like to hear from you in the comments. Do you already have your goals written down? Are you taking your progress towards your goals?

That’s all for now, from a computing learner.

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