The term SMART is immediately associated with a famous city car, or with a particularly capable, active, brilliant and fashionable person.
Of course, being SMART is "cool"; but in coaching SMART is a very common acronym that is used to better define a purpose and which means that a goal must reflect 5 characteristics; So let's see what they are:
S = Specific
M = Measurable
A = Feasible
R = Relevant
T = temporally defined
In the fourth article I told you about the importance of “Know What You Want”, in the fifth article “Of the Dream” and today, as a logical consequence, I'm talking about the goal.
Knowing what you want, at least in broad terms, is essential just as it is important to be guided by a dream; because only in this way will it be possible to always have the energy necessary to overcome the toughest moments, which we will be able to encounter in every growth path.
How do we deal with a SMART goal?
Is winning a world championship a SMART goal? The answer is no; let's see why:
S = is it specific? No, because I have not indicated the discipline in which I want to obtain this result
M = is it measurable? Yup, as it can be measured with a ranking
A = is it feasible? This is up to you, from your level, of course if you're an athlete who trains once a week it's no, if you're a high-level professional then yes.
R = is it relevant? Si, being the World Champion is absolutely relevant
T = does it have an “expiration” date? No, because it is not specified when you want to be world champion
So, if the goal is to win a world championship then it's not an ambition that can be defined as SMART
Is Winning the Cross Country World Championship in 2023 SMART? In this case the answer is Yup!
By adding the specialty XC and a date, continuing to respect all the other letters as before, then you can have a SMART goal!
Now is your time. Do you have a goal for your season? If you have it, check that it's SMART, otherwise it's the right time to define it correctly
Obviously it is not enough to have a SMART goal to make it 100% realised; this is only the first step. In the next articles we will transform your focus into actions, to get you ever closer to your personal success.
