Introduction
Question do you have any SMARTIES, you know the ones, they are the delicious compacted flavorful sugar chews wrapped in that iconic cellophane? While I got you thinking about sugar take a moment, and reflect on whether or not you started any new years resolutions. While I had every bit of intention to get this post out prior to the new year I sadly didn’t make it there. I had the idea but did poorly on execution. One thing led to another so here we are with me just now getting this article out. If what I have to say helps just one person than I will be successful. Onward we dive into setting goals, keeping new year resolutions, or those we make on our journey. I hope to offer a nuance to your previous conceptions of goal setting. I will discuss a background to goal setting concept Specific Measurable, Assignable, Realistic, and Time-Related (SMART) tie in spirituality, and anything relevant from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on this very topic.
SMART History
In 1981 George T. Doran published his article “There’s a SMART way to Write Management’s Goals and Objectives” wherein he gives the very simple framework SMART. Doran (1981) explains that most managers – I would add individuals – “objectives represent a threat to their position” or our own end goals (p. 35). Well, what is a goal exactly simply put its individual or collective belief and philosophy for a desirable outcome whether it’s in the short term or long term. The problem is we can have a goal but fail to write – define – exactly what it is.
“Goals represent unique executive beliefs and philosophies.” (Doran, 1981, p. 35).
Doran’s SMART system works by being specific with your goal, measuring or quantifying it in a meaningful way, assigning it to an individual, realistically attainable based off available resources, and there must be a time frame. Doran (1981) explains that you don’t need to define each of the five, just have a enough of the five segments to begin, than along the way you learn to adjust, but that often means managers or ourselves have to deal with set backs or misfits (p. 36). No matter what you do some individuals will never adopt the goal, philosophy, or belief, and thereby potentially hindering the progress. Whether it be by procrastination, uncertainty (poorly defined, unattainable, no accountability, lack of adequate resources, too much emphasis on perfection, etc.), or sometimes even the rare saboteur – you know who you are.
SMARTIES
I too like many have set goals, forgot about them, did some of it, finished it, achieved, failed stumbled, and all that is between. In reflecting on my goals from 2022 I had a sad moment of reflection that I wasn’t as successful as I had hoped. Why was that where did I go wrong? After all I way in my mind applying Doran’s SMART framework. For example, I said I wanted to ride for Fondos which is a 100km bicycle ride in one go. Originally I thought four Fondo’s seems attainable, that would just be one Fondo every 90 days – bam there I would meet my goal. Guess who did get to work, yep, I failed a lot with that goal by not having done one Fondo. I felt frustrated with myself which led me to start reflecting. What I realized is what I am now personally implementing, in what I propose is Specific, Measurable, Assignable Accountability, Realistic, Time-Related, Initiative, Execution, and Spiritual (SMARTIES) goal setting. While I don’t know what exactly your goal is I hope to provide a enough examples for you to relate these new concepts to you personally?
Specific
Doran’s take is adequate in that we need to be specific in what we hope to accomplish, because if we don’t than nothing will be done. Think of your goal in the simplest form as necessary, sometimes our goals are a combination of smaller goals. Try to exam your goal, and brake it down into its simplest components. A Christian philosopher William of Ockham (Occam; c. 1285-1348) purposed that philosophical arguments are best understood by the simplest form possible which was later coined Occam’s Razor (Sober, 2015). We all want to be a billionaire, but we should realize that billionaires were once multimillionaires, millionaires etc.
“Choose goals that are realistic which can be done on a regular basis. Remember, the Almighty loves acts that are consistent. So start small; work on it instead of trying to do it all at once & then quickly losing steam.” (Menk, 2019, 11:22 pm)
If you can try to reduce your goal in the simplest form. For example, I said I wanted to do four Fondo’s which was a at most 400km of riding for the whole year. While I think of myself a cyclist it takes time, training, consistency, and building the endurance to sit on a bicycle for 100km ride. In the last three years the longest I went was 99.96 km because someone’s miles to kilometers conversion math was off. Can your goals be slices into thinner bite size pieces?
“Goal setting is essentially beginning with the end in mind. And planning is devising a way to get to that end.” (Ballard, 2017, p. 1).
Measurable
How do you measure a goal? What are things you can use as guider post to know if you’re progressing along adequately? Is it running a certain number of miles, staying within your budget, volunteering a certain number of hours, etc. I would argue that if you cant measure your goal in some form that you were not being clear in specifying. Sure, some things are abstract like setting a goal of being more loving to your partner. Well, how do you show your partner you love them? Most people tend to like to do things, maybe you show your partner love by setting apart specific days to be alone away from the children, chores, job, to have together time. In this scenario let’s say your partner wants to go out to a date once a month. Here we now have something to measure.
Assignable Accountability
We need to assign the goal, but we need to be accountable in it. This differs from Doran’s (1981) definition (p. 35). I can tell you to go walk 30 minutes a day, but if there is no accountability involved then why even assign it? While I could go into the managerial, supervisory, or even mentor sub topics, I just want you to realize this is for you or your family. While those arguably are important I don’t want to digress too long from the importance of assigning the goal for someone to work on. Maybe your goal is keep your home clean, you and your spouse call a family meeting, define what chores need to be done, and then who needs to do those chores. When we don’t do those tasks their needs to be an accountability aspect. When it comes to individual assignment of goals its hard to hold yourself accountable. Recently, I too discovered the need for my dear wife, my supervisor, or mentor, etc., must be involved, and hold me accountable. What does that look like individually? Personally, I find embarrassment to a motivator for accountability, to keep me focused and on time. You should discuss what repercussion will occur by failing to stay the course with someone you trust.
Realistic
Save the fiction for the story telling, goals must be grounded in reality, if not they are nothing more than wishful thinking and pleasant day dreams. I have a fitness app called Starva (this doesn’t represent endorsement) which present monthly challenges often involving time or distance for a variety of physical activities. I could say I want to run a marathon every month, but right now I could likely do 13 km at best. We should follow Occam’s Razor have already defined something specific, and that includes a realistic goal. Apart of this realism is doing research on your goal what things need to happen prior to your goal. Let’s say you wanted to do an open mic night for comedy routine. Here we should look for the when, where, who, and what surrounding it. “Oh, Look they do open microphone nights at the local diner (where), the first Friday of every month (when), I need to call and speak with the manager (who), and since it’s a family restaurant I need to prepare clean jokes (what).”
“As you set goals, start with what’s simple. Then as you practice and persist, your capacity will increase.” (Stanfill, 2020)
Time-Related
Time-related coincides with Measurable. We should also look at our goal in terms of how, and when smaller tasks need to be done – hourly, daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, yearly, and so on. We should also have a means for tracking the time, such as calendar reminders, setting alarms, etc. How much time is needed for you to adequately work on that goal. For example, let’s say you want to work on poetry prose, so you decide that 10 minutes each day you will work on writing, you will set an alarm, and get to work. Lately I found getting sidetrack is a personal hinderance, so I like to set alarms for what I’m currently working on to meet my other daily tasks.
Apart from nuance changes previously discussed the next three section are wholly my working concept.
Initiative
In role playing each player character to monsters have initiatives, and what it means the higher the initiative the faster the response the individual has. We too all have varying degrees of initiatives, from being inherent go getters to patient doers. In our day to day lives initiative isn’t something most people are generally cognizant of. For those who are self-aware its apparent from an outside perspective. Let’s say your child comes to you, and explains they want to go to space camp. They found out where camps are held, they found various brochures and pamphlets, they found out requirements, time, preparatory action, to your amazement they even found out the cost and broke it down over a few months, etc. They hope you can give them permission and allow them a loan on allowance to pay for the camp – that is initiative. Let us flip the script now your child comes to you same proposal but has done no research with the space camp starting in a week.
The reality is the first scenarios I far more likely to happen you could have all the hope in the world, but without initiative your good intentions are just wishful thinking. If you’re taking the time to plan your goals were being Specific events or outcomes, measured goal posts, assigned the accountability, were realistic, looked at timetables, then initiative is also what preparatory work are your doing to ensure you can go after. Additionally, if you were realistic and did some research before you should have the information necessary to start taking initiative. Furthermore, initiative is also a reflection of your own self desire, and willingness to do everything necessary to accomplish the goal. I should note that sometimes we must set goals we aren’t really fan of, so we should try to plan for ways to make it excite which starts with optimism towards the task.
Execution
Execution phase is when you will go do the things necessary to bring fulfillment to your goal. Here is when you go to the open mic night, take your child to space camp, show up for race day registration, get your kit on and go ride that 100km on brisk morning, etc. Enjoy the moment you placed so much energy into this process you should enjoy the moment. I would argue the execution stage is the most enjoyable aspect of this whole process. You have been thinking about the X,Y,Z, and now its finally here. Then after all the hard work, planning, and effort it done. You showed up, you made it, you crossed the finish line. Now that you executed you need to review. What worked, what didn’t work, what could you do better next time, how accountable were you, what initiative did you have, etc. Really think about the process, and I would suggest record and journal it. Especially, if its something like running a marathon, doing stand up comedy, hosting a bake sale, and what ever else you are likely to repeat. This self-reflection must be hundred precent brutally honest. That way next year or next time you know what worked, and what didn’t work.
Spiritual
This will likely be controversial to some, but that is a foundation stone of my blog and podcast – righteous controversy. If your goal is framed in a perspective of spiritual or eternal fulfillment than it’s not a very good one. Elder Vern P. Stanfill (2020) of the Seventy for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints discussed how goals are gateways of becoming (p. 1). We should also remember that while we want to play the guitar like Eddie Van Halen, he spent decades upon decades practicing his craft. We shouldn’t hold ourselves back due to a lack of perfection, but realize we are likely specifying an goal that involves practice. Stanfill (2020) reminds us that “ The Lord teaches us “line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little” (2 Nephi 28:30), so we should realize it will take time, work, and initiative on our part to be successful (p. 1). Apart of this becoming is framing who we want to be, and recalling the profound words offered by Christ Jesus in his intercessory prayer.
“3 And this is alife beternal, that they might cknow thee the only true dGod, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast esent.” (John 17:3).
Elder Stanfill (2020) quotes both President M. Russel Ballard, and President Dallin H. Oaks of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in driving home his thoughts on that goals are meant to be eternally reflective of our divine nature (p. 1). We often are held up by the hear and now, falling into the entrapments of this life, and forget to keep our perspective on the eternal. One aspect I deeply admire of our brothers and sisters in Islam is their emphasis on this very matter. The devout Muslim is always viewing their world through this lens. Now life isn’t perfect which means we often are stuck with tasks we must do. However, when we are setting about individual goals, we should do so with this vary same emphasis, and ask ourselves how this helps me.
I recognize that I have people of many walks of life that follow, listen, or read my thoughts. This principle still applies to you. If you aren’t being benefitted in the long term its probably not a very good goal. This doesn’t mean cant choose something that we enjoy, but that we could improve ourselves -potentially others – by selecting goals that have long term and eternal benefits. If you are irreligious think about this in, how are you being fulfilled by the goal? What outcomes does it have, and where does it lead you? Ideally, you should be thinking about Spirituality in Specific setting phase.
SMARTIES in Action
Here I want to do a little demonstration of how I personally have been utilizing SMARTIES. Please forgive me here as I use yet again another goal centered around fitness. In lifting there are several pinnacle exercises mainly Bench Press, Deadlift, and Squatting which are known as the big three. The big three are used to identify your strength, by performing all three lifts attempting to lift as much as you can and totaling the scores. There are what we will call five weight clubs based off the total of your big three, and that’s the 500 lbs, 750lbs, 1,000lbs, 1,500 lbs, and 2,000lbs Clubs. Right now, I’m in the 500lb club and wanting to move up to the 750lbs club with my current lifts totaling 665lbs. Which means I must add 83lbs across all three lifts in order to make 750lbs. Below is a visualization with a few bullet points to demonstrate what this process looks like. While the visual is directional it should be noted like Doran’s (1981) SMART process SMARTIES is a continual process and doesn’t necessarily need to be done in order if you are meeting the intent behind the process (p. 1).
Invitation
If you are up for it I invite everyone reading or listening to apply the SMARTIES method. If you have already set goals, you can still evaluate where you are at, if you haven’t been this is a great time to do so. If you are planning to use this, I want to hear how its going. I plan on making a follow-up to this topic later in the year. Additionally, if you need someone to bounce ideas off, or need someone to be accountable to I am all for it. I feel better now that I finally finished this goal of making this post and episode. I wish you all the very best, and hope to hear how things are going for you.
References
Ballard, B. E. M. R. (2017, April 1). Return and Receive. https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2017/04/return-and-receive?lang=eng
Doran, G. T. (1981). There’s a SMART way to write management’s goals and objectives. Management Review (Saranac Lake, New York), 70.
Menk, M., [@muftimenk]. (2019, December 31). Choose goals that are realistic which can be done on a regular basis. Remember, the almighty loves acts that are consistent. So start small; work on it instead of trying to do it all at once & then quickly losing steam. [Online forum post]. Twitter. Retrieved February 5, 2023, from https://twitter.com/muftimenk/status/1212016295492890624
Sober, E. (2015). Ockham’s Razors: A User’s Manual. Cambridge University Press.
Stanfill, B. E. V. P. (2020, October 1). Goals Are a Gateway to Growth. https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/new-era/2020/10/goals-are-a-gateway-to-growth?lang=eng
No comments:
Post a Comment