Be it business or personal life, you should have some goals. These are the motivation to do your work successfully or live your life to its full potential. However you need to have some system in place otherwise you set yourself crazy goals that you may have absolutely no chance of achieving. Of course, as you will see below, not all are totally relevant but the gist of it is.
I would like to specifically describe what I think the difference between goals and targets are first though.
Goal v Target
To me a goal is the ultimate aim, the end result you wish to achieve. Your long-term vision. In context of this site, the goal would be to lost weight. You could be more specific perhaps. In my case it was to get within "normal" range for my BMI (Body Mass Index). To me, though, it need not be numeric.But specifics fall more into targets. Targets can be set for shorter periods and should be drivers for you to reach your ultimate goal. Similar to milestones I would set targets of, specific example for me in phase 1 of weight loss process, lose 10kg in 20 weeks. I had many targets along the way to reach this, but I will describe those in my stories later.
What is SMART?
- Specific - specify a target, such as 5kg, 10kg etc.
- Measurable - obviously we have scales and calendars
- Attainable - or achievable
- Relevant - or realistic. There is no point setting a target that there is absolutely no chance of achieving
- Timely - set realistic timeline for your target
Why I should apply SMART to my Weight Loss Plan
Just like in business you need your motivation to achieve your goals. My motivation for starting the diet were quite obvious but you also need something to keep you going. Not everything is going to be a bed or roses.You need targets to reach your ultimate goal. What should they be? How should I set them? In the coming blog posts I will describe how I selected my target based on the goal of losing weight.