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Succeed With Great SMART Goals

Healthy SMART Goals can be achieved if you take the time to plan and to figure out the obstacles.

Disclaimer: Elise Ho, aka “Dr. Ho” is a Holistic Health & Life Coach. Dr. Ho is NOT a medical doctor, licensed therapist, lawyer, or a bevy of other things. Products or services that Dr. Ho believes in are the only ones that she recommends. Dr. Ho may receive compensation, product, or an affiliate commission on anything you see on this site. This is a personal Website solely reflecting Dr. Ho’s personal opinions. Statements on this site do not represent the views or policies of any organization with which I may be affiliated.

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Succeed With Great SMART Goals

What are your SMART goals?

Do you want to spend more time with your family?

What about your friends?

Have you set fitness goals?

Are you on track for your health?

How is your work life?

Now is the time! Let’s get to those SMART Goals!

[ctt template=”5″ link=”l1Vhy” via=”yes” nofollow=”yes”]When setting goals the most important thing is to be completely honest with yourself.[/ctt]

First, think about what you really want to achieve. Think big and state it in a positive manner. Skip the I wants and go the I wills. Forget, I want to be and state I will be. Napoleon Hill stated it best.

 

 

What are your long-term goals? For example, one year from now I will be (fill in the blank).

The next step is to break that down. Three months from now what do you need to have accomplished your one-year goal?

Now we are really getting somewhere.

We are finally ready to look at the short-term goal or the plan in action. These are the steps that you will take this week.

[ctt template=”5″ link=”gB6bT” via=”yes” ]Your weekly steps, or short-term goals, are the magic that will make your long-term goals a reality.[/ctt]

These goals need to be SMART.

This acronym asks for you to set goals that are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Time-Bound.

A specific goal is a goal in which you pinpoint exactly what you wish to achieve.

To make this goal measurable you need to be able to clearly track the progress you have made.

An attainable and realistic goal will be one that is possible.

A time-based goal will be logical within a reasonable time frame.

Are you ready to achieve your healthy smart goals?

Have you set a time frame?  The pot of gold at the end of the rainbow is found by setting a reasonable deadline.

Are you being realistic? A bit of a dose of reality is very important, but it is equally important to reach a bit beyond your comfort zone. The achieving of this goal is not necessarily going to be easy, but it will be worth it.

Have you considered what may get in your way? Have you established a SMART plan?

How are you going to achieve these goals?

Arguably, over the course of the year, you may have to confront some obstacles. This may even happen over the course of a week.

The best way to overcome obstacles is to first be aware of their potential to interfere with the foundation that you are building.

Second, use this awareness to set up support systems to ensure that everything does not fall apart.

 

The “No Real Plan” obstacle: A lack of awareness of where to start is the biggest issue here. Setting S.M.A.R.T. goals is a very positive way in which to move forward and to move past the idea that you have “no clue” as to where to start.

The “No Time” obstacle:  Is it really that you have no time or is it the more likely option of the fact that you have not found the time for this pursuit?

I have no doubt that we are all very busy people.  The stay at home parent, the work from home parent, the work outside of the house parent, the entrepreneur, the student, and almost every other person has a busy life filled with the pursuit of their goals. By the same token, there is also a  whole bunch of busy work and maybe some time wasting too.

It is the busy work and the time wasting that must be explored.

Start each day with a clearly defined list of “Five Focus Items.” This list should include the most important tasks and a clearly defined plan on how to accomplish them. The plan should not include more than 10 items “To Accomplish.” In my practice, I have found that any list larger than ten is overwhelming and often leads to an ignored list.

The “No Energy” obstacle: If you truly have no energy then I encourage you to assess your sleep patterns (duration and quality), your health, and your water intake. Your water intake should be approximately half of your body weight in ounces unless your medical doctor says differently. This translates to a 150-pound person drinking a minimum of 75 ounces of good, clean water per day. Water intake should be increased based on heat, exercise, and various other factors). A dehydrated body is a tired body.

Also consider visiting a nutrition specialist for a review of your nutritional requirements, your food intake, and your food choices. I know a good one. Wink, wink.

The “No Confidence” obstacle:  Always questioning your well thought out plans will not help you to progress towards your goals.

Do your due diligence in regards to research and then have confidence in your work.

[ctt template=”5″ link=”1cIYp” via=”yes” ]Keep in mind that it is okay to make mistakes as these can be wonderful learning experiences. They may even be an opportunity in disguise.[/ctt]

The “Lack of Resources” obstacle.  Overcome this obstacle by reviewing your goals and making a list of who can help to keep you on course. That person can be your friendly coach known as “Elise” or if we are being formal, “Dr. Ho.” It may be your spouse, child or friend. Review your bank account if a monetary investment is needed. No matter the obstacle the first step is awareness. The second step is good old fashioned brainstorming for solutions.

Don’t Compare Yourself To Others

 

SMART goals are personal and unique. What you might wish to achieve is not the same as your friends, family members, or neighbors. Your journey is unique, and comparing yourself to others might cause you to lose faith and motivation. And don’t forget to resolve any issue that might still be standing between you and your goals – it is time to tackle them! Whether you need the help of bespoke addiction therapy or sessions with a psychologist, you can turn your life around, set specific goals, and start working towards them!

Ultimately it is all up to you. Are you ready to achieve your healthy smart goals?

Please share your thoughts and feedback in the comments below. It would be extra special if you were to share at least one of your current goals.

Please use the comment section below to share your tips, questions, and/or thoughts about this post.

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Naturally Yours,
Elise Ho
Ph.D., D.N. Psych.
Behavioral & Mental Health Specialist

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11 thoughts on “Succeed With Great SMART Goals”

  1. Pingback: Welcome to The Eating Season - Ask Dr. Ho

  2. Love SMART goals – used to use this concept all the time when I worked in the corporate world. I really need to remember to apply them to daily life too – thank you for the reminder of how helpful having SMART goals can be!

  3. Elise, my husband and I both learned about S.M.A.R.T. goals when we took the BSA Wood Badge course. I had heard of them before though had not done anything with them. During the course and for our ticket (our five products), we were required to use S.M.A.R.T. goals in order to make sure our projects were not too huge. It was not easy for myself (and some other course members) to get super focused using the S.M.A.R.T. requirements. Sometimes our goals are too huge and we need to take a couple steps back, re-think what we really want to do, and then apply S.M.A.R.T. again to see if our goals are more attainable. Thank you for the reminder to set accomplishable goals. One of my goals is to get link parties set up on my blogs and running before May ends. ~Adrienne

  4. While I don’t have a healthy smart goal at the moment, I have a financial & work-related goal which your points also apply to. My one year goal is to make a profit with my blog. To make it a SMART goal, I need to figure out the dollar amount (Measurable). If I set it to $100, it’s certainly achievable and realistic. To make this goal worthwhile, that amount needs to be higher, but I don’t know what a realistic amount is just yet. I’m hoping to learn from other bloggers, specifically other fitness bloggers, what that achievable and realistic part could be.
    One of my biggest obstacles is learning what I need to do to achieve this goal. There is so much to learn and set up that I get lost in what I really need to do in the short term versus what can be done at a later time or what doesn’t truly align with my goal. So for now, sadly I don’t have a solid plan. I have notes of actionable tasks that I need to sort through.
    I struggle with the Time aspect. I get sidetracked by busy work. Some of that is procrastination on my part and some of it is I get distracted by new and shiny things.
    Thank you for your post. It has made me think about what I need to do to set a focus and make a SMART goal. I will keep yours points in mind as I do that. And thank you for reading my rambling thoughts.

    1. Lynn, I was thrilled to read your thoughts. It is a great example of how planning for your goals can propel you forward. The actionable steps are forming your SMART Goals for this week (and maybe next week too). As for getting sidetracked by busy work and shiny new things, have you considered setting aside a specified amount of time each day to directly work on the profitability goal?

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About The Author

Dr. Elise Ho

Dr. Elise Ho

Dr. Elise Ho is a Holistic Health & Life Coach with a special interest in emotional health, life alignment, and energy flow.

Elise will partner with you to align your mindset, your energy, your home and your career so that you can live your life's desire with freedom and love.

Elise offers 30 years of experience and multiple certifications and degrees including a Ph.D. in Natural Health and a doctoral degree in Naturopathic Psychology.