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All of us want general positives. Everyone wants to be happy, healthy and successful. However very few people can identify exactly what makes them happy, what constitutes good health or exactly what success means to them.

The desire to be healthy is a great example. It is interesting because the end point will be the same for all of us regardless of fitness level: death. When you are gauging your health you are measuring something that can only peak and eventually disappear altogether.

So how do you know how healthy you want to be?

One could argue that anyone who is alive today is healthy. Those people would have no specific risk of dying any time soon. With that ruler, people who run marathons and people who smoke fifty cigarettes every day would be in the same category. Even a heavy cigarette smoker can expect to stay alive for the next few weeks, months or years. With that measure, there wouldn’t be any action to be taken to achieve such a vague goals. If we want to be healthy  enough to have no imminent risk of death, most of us wouldn’t have to change a thing. There would be no need for a plan at all. But, that’s probably not what people think when they wish to be “healthy.”

A great way to improve our chances of success is to implement a process called S.M.A.R.T.

It is an acronym and stands for:

Specific

Measurable

Achievable

Relevant

Time-bound

If we apply the S.M.A.R.T rubric to our goals, those goals will lend themselves to the opportunity to make a plan for achievement.

S - Specific - “I want to bring my blood pressure down to the ideal range”

This goal is specific. It won’t cloud your plan with multiple priorities acting simultaneously. Specific means specific. If you want to lose weight, reduce your blood pressure, reduce your blood sugar, become able to walk five miles without a break, look good in a bathing suit and reduce your wrinkles all at the same time it’s difficult to create a plan to achieve it all. An action taken to reduce blood pressure might also help to train you to walk a long time but it also may not which would lead you to make a plan that doesn’t address your goal exactly.

M - Measurable - “to the ideal range”

This part is obvious. You wouldn’t know that your blood pressure was too high unless it could be measured. Having an exact number helps us avoid the vagueness of just wanting something to be “better.” If you cannot measure progress, you cannot know if you are working towards your goal or if you have already achieved your goal.

A - Achievable - Your goal must be realistic.

Setting unachievable goals is a waste of time. In fact, it is counterproductive because failing to meet goals is discouraging. We all know what we can achieve in a given amount of time based on our past successes. We can also find case studies of other people who have already achieved the goal we have in mind. We can judge what is possible by looking at what others have achieved. Those other people are human just like you. If they can do it, so can you. If nobody has ever done it before, I would be weary of the validity of that goal.

R - Relevant - Your goal must matter.

If you want to be healthier, bringing your blood pressure down to the ideal range is relevant. Having benevolent blood pressure readings is an indicator of good health. This step prevents us from wasting time on endeavors that don’t matter, preserving our valuable time and energy for better choices.

T - Time-bound -  “I want to bring my blood pressure down to the ideal range by next Christmas.”

Without the due date, this goal would not meet the qualifications on the S.M.A.R.T system. Having a definitive end date helps us monitor our progress and anticipate it along the way. It also improves out motivation for a goal. As we see the deadline looming, we could be more focused on carrying out the steps of our plan to achieve our goal.

In addition to spreading the word about the useful S.M.A.R.T system, I also want to bring up an introspective question for all of us.

Do you have any specific goals?

I know that most of you have very few specific goals, if any. I know this because there have been stretches in my life when I, myself, did not have any specific (S.M.A.R.T) goals. The fact that I am literally writing about the topic means that there’s a great chance that I am more interested in goal-setting than the average person. And if I have lived without specific goals, I am assuming you have as well.

Does your relationship with specific goals make a difference in your life?

I may not be the authority. If you look at your life and see nothing but satisfaction, then maybe you can crumple this piece up and toss it in the trash (delete it, I guess.). Contrary to the philosophies of big business, there’s nothing that says that everything must be improved at all times. If you are satisfied with your achievements, there’s no need to tinker. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

The Rudderless Boat

On the other hand, if you are dissatisfied with your life or achievements and, at the same time, aren’t creating and working towards specific goals, then this is definitely something to consider. As I stated, if our goals aren’t specific, it’s very easy to float along without making significant progress.

There is a science to goal-setting and goal achievement. Research has been done on the topic. As with anything else, if your results aren’t where you want them to be, it’s best to learn about how others have achieved better results. In this case, the S.M.A.R.T system of goal-setting could be a remedy to your problems and a catalyst for your future success.

Burak Uzun is an award-winning writer and instructor. He has received thousands of hours of training and hands-on experience in guiding individuals with social and emotional challenges. He also co-wrote a feature film called Team Marco, which was featured in over fifty film festivals around the globe and was distributed by Samuel Goldwyn Films.

Please feel free to reach out to Burak here.

Learn more about SOCA LLC and Burak’s classes here.