I was having an entrepreneur mindset coaching session with a new coach last week and the topic of SMART goals came up. According to my client, they were struggling with social media planning because it just felt so overwhelming. We jokingly referred to it as “screaming into the void” and I could totally empathize.
I felt that in my soul.
However, as we dug deeper, we realized that the struggle was not so much with the “plan” as much as it was with the feeling of a lack of a purpose.
When we started peeling back the layers even more, my client acknowledged they had no plan because they had no goals beyond, “be on Facebook.” Well, that was easy to check off her list now that she opened a Facebook account. I asked if she had tried setting some SMART goals.
The light bulb that went off was visible in her face. Even as coaches, we sometimes forget that we can coach ourselves using the tools we’ve learned. We began crafting a few SMART goals and she went on her way. In our next session she shared that those SMART goals made, what previously felt daunting, an exciting experience. Frankly, it was a wonderful reminder for me too, as my goal setting initiatives always kick into gear this time of year. I too would set some SMART goals for the new year.
But Wait…SMART Goals? Didn’t I learn about them in high school?
Yes, we’re talking about the same SMART goals you were taught at some point in school. Not smart as intelligence, but as in S.M.A.R.T.:
| Specific | What specifically will be accomplished in this goal? |
| Measurable | How will success in this goal be measured? |
| Attainable/Achievable | Can you actually achieve or attain this goal? |
| Relevant | Is this goal relevant to your broader goals? |
| Time-bound | What is the timeframe for achieving this goal? |
The more time you spend putting your goals through the SMART lens, the more success you will find. You may even be surprised, like my client, who found that the dreaded social media planning was not so bad once she had SMART goals she was working towards. There were no more conversations about procrastinating or feeling “left behind” the other coaches in her cohort because she was succeeding on her own (SMART) terms.