How To SMARTLY Achieve Your Goals: Find Your Why

January 7, 2023

Is 2023 YOUR year?

Your year to make the changes you want to make?

Your year to boldly accomplish something that you have tried before and quit?

Your year to do something that you never have done before?

It is a New Year with new intentions. It is a time when people worldwide make their best efforts to make positive changes in their lives.

Sadly, the enthusiasm for these changes will fizzle within the first few weeks of starting.

Positive change and its success are aided by creating habits that set you on the path to reaching your goals. For example, simple acts such as not having junk food in the house if you are trying to eat healthier or putting your running shoes somewhere where you will trip over them if you are trying to exercise regularly are steps to help these goals become sustainable actions.

People will do this but they will still, more often than not, fail.

Why does this happen?

There are some who say it is all in your mindset. I think it is more in your "heartset".

Your success with your goals comes down to figuring out your deepest why. And that, my friends, comes from your heart, not your brain.

Having the intention is great but it is my belief that your success comes down to your why.

Why do you want to make that change or accomplish that goal?

Figuring this question out comes down to answering these 2 additional deeper, more pensive questions:

1. Who is the person I want to be?

2. What kind of life do I want to live?

Our why then, is a blend of who we want to be and how we want to live.

When we think at this level, the change becomes more personal. If it is more personal, one is apt to commit more deeply to the often uncomfortable changes.

We all have a why. In the hustle and bustle of life, we often forget our why. It's time to remember your why.

Think of your why as your own personal mission statement. Businesses have mission statements. People should have them too.

Once you know your why, making choices to support this will become easier...and meaningful.

Understanding what choices you need to make to design the you and life you desire, it then becomes more straightforward to create habits to support this. These habits are your goals.

Does this make sense looking at it this way?

One popular framework to facilitate change is using SMART goals.

The components of this are:

SPECIFIC: you need to set a particular goal or change you want to make. (Using a popular example: I want to lose 30 pounds by eating better and being more active.)

MEASURABLE: put a number on it. (In the example: I will walk 10,000 steps five days each week. I will not snack after supper at 6 pm.)

ACHIEVABLE: is this goal even reasonable for you to accomplish? If you feel is it absolutely impossible, you will lose your motivation to actually pursue it. (In the example: yes, this is reasonable, I can do this.)

RELEVANT: is what you want to do even relevant to your overall purpose and important to your values. Otherwise, it’s just some random thought with no meaning. This is the why. ( In the example: I want to do this so I am able to play with my kids in the park and go on adventures with them because as it is now, I can't do this effortlessly.....or I want to do my bucket list trip and hike a famous trail.)

TIME BOUND: you need to set a time limit or it will be put off indefinitely. (in the example: I will accomplish this by June 18.)

Using a template such as SMART helps by being very specific in how you will be held accountable. Is this a perfect system? No. But it will give you a starting place. Just keep remembering your why.

Making it visual by actually writing it down instead of just keeping it in the mental notes section of your brain will be very helpful. This will make you more accountable because it is in plain sight. Putting a gold star or a checkmark next to your accomplishments will also help you.

Sharing your intent with someone or a group will help keep accountable to your why as you move toward your goal.

There you have it. Some ideas to help you to make some real changes...if you want.

Remember your why.....and allow yourself grace for the ups and downs along the journey.

You got this.

I believe in you.

Let me know how it goes!