By John Valentik MS, NASM-PES, FMS

If you’re like most, you probably set goals occasionally, whether they are wellness, career, relationship, etc. You might even be pursuing one right now! These goals will fall into two categories: outcome-based or behavior-based goals. Outcome-based are typically the most popular of the two options. “I want to lose twenty pounds, run a 5k, read 15 books, do 50 pushups, make 6 figures, etc.” These are all examples of outcome-based goals. They have a destination of where you want to end up.

Behavior-based goals are a little less flashy, but oh-so important! “I want to exercise 2x per week, eat 4 fruits and vegetables every day, sleep 7 hours per night, meditate daily, read 3 pages daily, make 5 sales calls a day, etc.” These goals assist you in getting to the outcome-based destination. They also do something that gets overlooked that is critical to long term success. Behavior-based goals reinforce the person you desire to become. So, while outcomes are something we often focus on, think about who you’d like to become during that process.

When talking with my students and clients, we discuss S.M.A.R.T goals regularly. Using this acronym can help provide a lot of direction for where you need to begin and what you need to do. Take a look!

• Specific: Is it clear and concise?
• Measurable: Is the goal trackable?
• Achievable: Is this goal achievable for you?
• Relevant: Does it line up with who you want to be and what you want to achieve?
• Time-Bound: Is there a tangible timeline attached to it?

There are a couple of major problems with goal setting. First, we may set goals that are either too vague or out of reach. Too much ambiguity in a goal makes it tough to determine whether or not you are on the right track. “I want to be healthier. I want to eat better. I want to have a better life balance. I want to be a better partner.” These are all great goals, but each is lacking clarity. Applying the S.M.A.R.T. principle can aid with goals that are too vague. I want to be a better partner by dedicating Wednesday nights to date nights, whether or not we go out on a formal date. This is one of my goals, and it’s specific, measurable, achievable, and relevant. The time-bound is forever!

Setting goals that are out of reach is next. Don’t get me wrong, setting high fitness, career, or relationship goals are excellent. It’s important to strive for something. But I would urge you to take baby steps along the way. Take short steps, but have a long-term vision. Setting an exercise frequency goal of 6x per week on January 1st is setting you up for failure if you’re frequency from September through December was 1x per week. The same can be said for healthier eating goals, book reading, meditation, etc. Too many people fall into those New Year’s all-or-nothing traps. To read more on the impact of small steps and consistency, take a look at our first blog post of the year here.

So, aim to create goals that strike a balance between the destination you’re trying to reach (outcome-based) and how you plan to get there (behavior-based). Use the S.M.A.R.T acronym to provide you with more specifics and direction. Even the goals of being the best father or spouse can be clarified when looking through this S.M.A.R.T lens. How do you quantify being the best Dad? A big measurement of success for me is how much time I spend with my kids and making sure that I’m really present when I’m home with them. Once you’ve established these goals, another extremely valuable area is getting some accountability. Tell your partner, friend, and/or mentor about your goals. This way you have someone else involved in the process, not only to help you when you slide off the rails, but to celebrate your successes too! On that note, we’ll wrap this up with a great quote. Hope you enjoyed!

If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together! – Robin Jones Gunn