5 Tips to Accomplish Goals for Teens & Adults
How many times have you felt motivated to make a change or work towards something exciting only to have that initial drive fizzle out? I know that I have personally experienced this very phenomenon, but have since found a way to accomplish my goals consistently. If you would like to see a goal through from inspiration to completion, follow these five guidelines for success:
Make your goals SMART. Write and rewrite the details of what you want to achieve so that your goal can be articulated as Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-Bound. I’ll use a hypothetical example of wanting to “make more money” to illustrate how to take a simple goal and make it SMART.
Specific: How much more money do you want to make? Per month, per year, ongoing, one-time? I want to make an additional $20k per year.
Measurable: How will you know when you’ve been successful? I will be able to see the difference reflected in my gross income on my annual tax return documents as $20K more from last year to next year.
Attainable: Is this goal something that is actually, realistically possible? This is up to the goal-setter to decide. Yes, I am currently only working 3 days per week, but I am willing to work up to six days per week. I am confident that if I found an additional part-time job that pays $20/hr, I will hit my goal of an additional $20K over the next year.
Relevant: How is this relevant or useful to the goal-setter’s life? What meaning would this provide? Why do you want to achieve this goal, specifically? An additional $20k per year would allow me to save enough money for a down payment on a house after working for 3 years at this income level.
Time-Bound: By-When will you achieve this goal? I will spend the next 3 months applying for and interviewing for additional work. By then I will secure an additional job, and I will reach my end-goal 12 months after that.
Take your big SMART goal, and break it down into individual steps and ongoing behaviors. Ask yourself, “specifically, how will I complete my goal?” and continue with this same question or asking “and, what else?” until you run out of additional information to add. See examples below:
Specifically, how will you make an additional $20K per year? I will find another part-time job in the next 3 months that pays at least $20 per hour for 24 hours per week.
Specifically, how will you find that job? I will spend at least 30 minutes per day, 4 days per week on job applications or interviews.
Specifically, what will you need to do to begin? I will set up a profile on Indeed and LinkedIn
And what else? I will begin by updating my resume by next week to reflect my current state and job history, and I will have at least one other person proofread it.
And what else? I will schedule a mock-interview with my current employer and ask for feedback.
Go back and add dates to each individual task you generated above.
Support & Accountability: what is the support you're going to get from the people around you? Choose a couple friends or family members whom you can enroll in your goal. Ask them to check in with you periodically to see how you are doing and offer support. The chances of successful goal completion go up quite a bit when you write down a goal, and they go up even more when you declare your goal to another person.
Finally, revisit and revise your goals regularly. Your goals may evolve and emerge over time. A regular self-reflection practice will help you stay focused on what matters most to you, and allow you to update your goals as needed. Rigidity can be the enemy of success when it comes to goal setting.
Keep your focus on the big picture vision for why you want to achieve your goal, hold yourself as capable, and let go of mistakes as they occur. Follow the five steps listed above, and I am confident that you will achieve your next goal! If you are looking for more support in goal setting, mindfulness, or personal growth and development, consider booking a coaching session to further increase your opportunity to get clear on your vision for the future, set meaningful goals, and increase your quality of life.
