If you follow this blueprint, there is a 100% foolproof way to turn your plans into sustainable action. Consultants charge a small fortune to give you what’s in this article. We’re giving you 11+ 1 steps that are guaranteed to have worked for us – at no cost. The beauty of this post? It goes beyond getting or staying fit, it also applies to business and everyday life. It’s all about S.M.A.R.T – E.F.F.O.R.T. But, what do the acronyms actually mean?
The S.M.A.R.T methodology is well known in business circles. Tons of books have been written about it, and legions of consultants are still making good money teaching businesses on how to use the S.M.A.R.T methodology. Yet, what if I told you that *just* being S.M.A.R.T is not enough? But, before we reveal the tricks of the consultants,
S.M.A.R.T stands for
S- Specific: Your goals should never be generalizations, but specific and defined by what you want the outcome to be. Consider who, what, when, where, why and how in developing the specifics.
M- Measurable: Your goals must either follow a numerical or descriptive convention. The idea is that you can measure your progress, which is not a constant but variable and fluctuating, against a linear measure.
A – Attainable/achievable: Consider the resources you’ll need to get to your goal and make sure that your goal is actually and truly achievable. Too lofty of goals will wear you down and you’ll give up midstream.
R- Relevant: Who’s to say what’s relevant to you? Good point. Except, when you’re a pastry chef with less than an iron will, your goal of sugar reduction might be irrelevant.
T- Timely: Consider the ‘when’ and the ‘how long’. Do you have enough time and how much time can (and will) you dedicate to achieving your goal?
Defining all the elements of S.M.A.R.T goal setting isn’t easy. Many people take quite some time, and even more consulting sessions, to actually develop decent plans that are also functional. Ultimately, though, once you’re done, you still only have the ‘headline’. I.e: I want to lower my blood pressure to “x” (specific). I’ll achieve this by losing 30 lbs (measurable) and by working with a fitness professional who also understands nutrition (achievable). I want to improve my cardiovascular system and live a longer and healthier life (relevant), and I plan on accomplishing my goal in 9 months (timely).
Of course, all the above are variables, but I’m sure you get the picture. Yet, there’s a massive, ginormous, mostly insurmountable problem within. How will you go about realizing your S.M.A.R.T goals? Because, in reality, what S.M.A.R.T goal sheets produce for you, are a headline and a little bit of a Table of Contents. Yet, they usually leave you with a good plan, but no idea on how to go about it.
Wherein the problem lies. What the consultants don’t tell you, is there ‘secret’ trick that they’re running in the background, which ultimately enables you to succeed with your S.M.A.R.T goals.
6 Angles to succeed with your goals – sustainably!
The VI Angulis methodology is used to turn S.M.A.R.T goals from a headline into actionable reality. The 6-Angles are derived from the acronym for E.F.F.O.R.T
E – Execution: Plans are good and having goals is fantastic. You have a vision, but that’s only the cornerstone of S.M.A.R.T thinking. What matters is – execution. You’ll have to move on realizing your goals. It’s easier said than done, but it is an inevitability. Start with the very first step toward your overall S.M.A.R.T goal. “You want to read a book, but can’t focus for hours-on-end, without falling asleep? Ready 5 minutes at a time.” Condition yourself to walk toward your goal at the pace of one-step-at-a-time.
F – Focus: You have more than one thing to do in your life. Focusing relates to prioritization. Is the identified goal your primary goal, or is it of lesser importance, so that you leave room to focus on your primary goal? Your focus should be on the most attainable, relevant and important goal. If you’re diabetic, you’ll need to work on that – ideally right away. Unless you have a more pressing issue that needs to be addressed. Then start there. Map your priorities and focus on them. If you focus on too many line items, you’ll find yourself ‘context switching’, which will kill your time allotment and set you back. Focus is key.
F – Feedback Loops: Without secondary or tertiary input from others, you would blindly aim at your goal. Yes, you could still accomplish your goal, but by going at it alone, you’d greatly reduce your chances for success. Just as we all went to school, received grades and feedback, the same goes for your place of employment, or even your children or partner. We constantly get feedback, but most often, we don’t embrace it. Feedback Loops are purpose designed. These loops hold you accountable, they provide you with what you need to improve. Whether the feedback relates to your nutrition, your exercise plan or your time allotment based on your priorities. Adequate and professional feedback is invaluable. If you think about it, every athlete has a coach. Most high-end professionals have more than one coach, nutritionist, therapist, physician, etc. Granted, none of us plays for the Vikings (I think?!), yet when peak performance athletes rely on others, chances are they have great reasons for that. You should, too…
O – Obstacles: Awareness matters. You will always be confronted with opportunities to fail. Nothing worth fighting for will just be given to you. You have to work for it. You have to earn it. And when you’re after a particular goal, obstacles will be in your way. Inevitably. If you goal is to lower your blood pressure and drop 30lbs, you’ll have to overcome your (former) errors in nutrition, you’ll have to work for it while reminding yourself what to shop for, what to eat, which ingredients will help you, and which will set you back. You’ll work for it at the gym. You’ll lift, you’ll run, you’ll row, throw, push-up, push-down. You’re working your way around obstacles, just the same way you’re working past problems at work or for your children. Except, at TAL we fist-pump or high-five and support you in overcoming your obstacles.
R – Routines: You get up a certain time, you submit based on deadlines, or you clock-out when it’s time to go home. You deliver your kids to school on-time, we celebrate birthdays by posting other’s Facebook walls in timely fashion. We live in a society where time is a linear concept. We plan for today, tomorrow, next year and if you’re interviewing somewhere, we commonly answer to the question “where do you see yourself in x-years?” We live by routines and while we plan for most things in life, we hardly ever plan for our own health. Not health care, but our own physical (and mental) health. Routines greatly assist you in succeeding with your S.M.A.R.T goals. Set your calendar to ‘shopping’, make a reminder for ‘gym’, set the alarm for ‘reading, relaxation, me-time’. Impossible? Give up an hour or two of Facebook or answering text messages. They’ll still be there when you get back.
T – Toughness: No S.M.A.R.T goal follow-through comes without old habits wanting to drag you back inside the ‘dark zone’. Toughness asks you to make conscious decisions, which are built on the awareness of where you stand and what you need to do. Toughness means saying “NO!” to the next beer, glass of wine, piece of cake or when you’re expected to shop based on your kids’ unhealthy nutritional demands. It means staying the course. It doesn’t mean that you can’t socialize anymore, but it does mean that you need to give your friends the feedback, that this glass of wine, sugar laden dessert, etc. does no longer fit with your ‘mission’. Toughness is indeed, tough!
So far so good. If you made it this far, the most obvious, yet also frequently dismissed success assurance is: Accountability. This doesn’t necessarily equate to you hitting the ‘check-in’ box as if you’re punching-in to go work, but it means that you have a person, or a team, at your side that believes in you as much as you believe that you can reach your goals. These team members can be working on the same goals, it can be your coach, or better yet – it should be both. If you’re responsible and accountable for your team, but you also have a coach who works with you individually, and your team, you are dramatically increasing your chances to successfully see your S.M.A.R.T goal come to life. In the end, what it really takes is E.F.F.O.R.T.
Read the post on “Diabetes“. Michael didn’t go from Type 2 Diabetes to non-diabetic all by himself. Certainly, he had the final responsibility to make it happen, but it took a small village to walk that path. From S.M.A.R.T goal to the E.F.F.O.R.T implementation, it needed to be applied for personal success. You can too…
We’re excited to help you! See ya at TAL!