For those new to goal setting this is a fairly simple guide. For those who already practice this, I hope you find the read maybe gives you a prompt to reflect on your current practice and curious to find anything new in the process.
The easiest place to start is a little bit of quiet time. It could be during a simple repetitive activity such as a gentle run, cycle or swim where you can let your mind open up and listen to the softer voices and emotions. It could be in a location that allows your mind to wander, a quiet café, a natural open space – hence all the hilltop or seaside pictures associated with these topics. It could be in discussion with another. Someone who is there to listen and ask questions. Essentially you want to allow a desire or motivation to come to the surface and into your conscious mind. For some this could be quite easy, it may follow-on from a prior goal already achieved. For others you may have to spend a little time on this stage. Don’t worry, panic or judge. There is no rush. Allow those whispers to get a little louder.
So lets assume you have a direction or intent forming. Now we take that and shape it into something more specific and tangible. As an example, you realise that you loved some of last years cycle adventures and are looking at something in the longer distance cycling space. You find you have a desire to cycle a century, or 100mile ride.
This goal is quite easily formed into something we can make into a structure of the common SMART format. A 100 mile cycle during 2023. It’s specific enough; we can measure when completed; we sense check it’s achievable for the goal setter, its relevant to both your lifestyle and health objectives and we have a time frame for completion.
Job done. Goal set 🙂
The logical part next. Break it down into sub-goals that map to achieving the bigger parent goal. So for a distance or duration goal it’s quite straightforward to divide into key milestones . For example divide the 100 miler into 50miles and / or 100km and set a new time frame for completion of each. Perfect, we are almost on our way.
Finally to help get you started, what small step can you take today so the ball is rolling, you gather momentum and a “win” is achieved. It doesn’t matter how small as long as the mapping to the objective is close. This one is about cycling so potentially it’s getting on your bike. Be careful with secondary or supporting activity as you may end up in the faff zone of preparation but no real forward progress. Or in the analysis paralysis space. i.e. a faff is say convincing yourself you need to buy mudguards first.
Tick these steps off and you will probably be in a good place.
However….there is more 🙂
Lets think a bit deeper and open up some of the motivations and the feeling side rather than the tick-box steps.
Reflect on the goal, what is the more general behaviour you are changing or reinforcing. For the cycling one, it’s about exploring, it’s about stretching to a longer distance, what will this take in preparation and day to day activities.
With all of this what emotions are you feeling associated to this behaviour?
How would this behaviour link to your sense of identity? Who does this kind of thing? Is it you? Is it who you want to be?
As you examine this identify, consider 2 lens – to be seen and to be safe\authentic\belong. What about this behaviour and identity allows you to be seen? What about it makes you feel safe or to belong?
Examining through these 2 lens can sometimes help unlock perspectives and motivations more powerful than the simple goal setting.
Finally, consider the achievement of the goal. When you get there, you will still be you. What reactions does this create? Does it help you focus more on the process rather than the goal in it’s own right. If so, keep this in mind during the steps of goal achievement.
As I’ve said a few times, the subject of goals is a huge topic. This post only briefly touches the surface.
In my final post of this mini series I’ll go through a worked example to demonstrate a much deeper motivation behind a simple goal statement, beyond the SMART framework.
Have fun reflecting and listening to the whispers!
As always let me know any comments or questions and feel free to share with others.