Habits 101: Setting Goals

The author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens, Sean Covey, wrote in his book: “We are what we repeatedly do.” I must say, when I encountered this quote, I wanted to immediately pick up this book (but alas, my teen days are behind me! J) It’s so true though, the habits that we do on a daily basis shape us – they show where we put our time, our talents and our treasure. Many times, the process of changing a habit starts with setting a goal – which will be our topic for today’s blog.

Creating and implementing goals for your life is a struggle for many of us, myself included. So, let’s walk through a personal goal I have for the upcoming Gobble Jog race on Thanksgiving Day! (Also, if you are interested in joining me on the run, I recently wrote about this on my blog around community service. You can register at gobblejog.org and you can join my team by entering “Sumpter Team”. If you are not able to attend, you can also donate to me as a runner at gobblejog.org and entering my name “Patrice Sumpter”.)

Constructing a Goal

The first step in achieving anything is to be clear about what you want to achieve. A common technique to writing a goal is to use the model of creating a SMART goal. It’s a quick, easy acronym to help you remember to make your goals specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time sensitive. A SMART goal could be something like: in November 2018, I will walk/run the Gobble Jog 5K in under 45 minutes. This is a goal that is very specific by listing the specific race (Gobble Jog), measurable (distance is specified), achievable (time is specified), realistic (giving sufficient time for training), and time sensitive (by November 2018).

Figuring out the steps

Once you have a goal in mind, the next step is to figure out how to make it happen. I ask myself a few key questions when setting a new goal:

• What resources do I need? (i.e. professional development course)
  I find it to be incredibly helpful to think about this upfront – it helps to make sure I am setting myself up for success!
• When should I check in on my progress? (i.e. once a month, quarterly)
  Just like we want our SMART goals to be timely, it’s important to consider different check points for our progress. For the example above, I would not want to wait to start training until a week before the race. Likewise, you may need more or less frequent check points along your personal goals.
• Who will help me stay accountable? (i.e. personal trainer)
  If there’s one place that goals go off, it’s by keeping them quiet. It’s easier to quit progressing towards a goal if you are the only person who knows about it. This could be a professional resource like a trainer or a personal friend or partner.

And…some tips!!

Next week, we’ll talk more about how to stick with goals and turn them from a goal into an ongoing habit. But for now, here’s a few things to get you on your way.

• This week, find someone to help you stay accountable in your next big goal!
• Look at failure as feedback.
  Listen, friend, every goal will not be achieved the first time, or perhaps the second. But if you do fail, know that it is merely feedback to launch you forward. Learn something from the experience, tweak your approach if needed, and give yourself grace through the feedback.

Here’s a great article on failing forward! It looks at failing forward from a business perspective, but definitely has tips that apply to personal development.

I hope you enjoyed these tips. Share with me if you implement something new!  

We visit the process of habit development a lot on this blog. Check out previous posts on morning routines, evening routine, meal planning, and back to school. Until next time, take care of yourselves…and those you love!