“Our life is frittered away by detail… simplify, simplify.”
Henry David Thoreau
One of the best layups I’ve come across for dealing with goals is the acronym SMART. Maybe you’ve heard of it. It’s a way of measuring up if the goal is actually feasible and grounded instead of being “pie in the sky”. Seriously, if you want to move the needle on something you’re working on, dig in and sketch it out.
S – Specific – is the goal foggy and nebulous or is it clear and concise?
M – Measurable – Can you measure it with numbers or scale? How can you know if you got there?
A – Achievable – Is it actually possible? Or what steps need to come first?
R – Relevant – Is this a part of your bigger plan or is it a distraction?
T – Time-based – Can you put a time on it or will it always be “later”?
This is where the dreaming and doing of RCO comes into play. Take the dream and vision that’s being built on your heart and get real with it. Whether this is the first time you’re hearing about SMART goals or the thousandth; take dream/vision/goal “x”, and apply each step. No really, just give it a sketch with a pencil and paper (or my favorite, an Evernote) and try it out. Play with it, see if it makes sense or if something else comes out of it.
You can either square up with what’s been sitting on the heart or confirm that it’s not something you’re going to do — which frees up cap space for the things you do want to do. But as my dad raised us on… “the worst things in life are the woulda, coulda, shouldas.”
— Adam Jarosz
Founder/Leadership Coach
Righteous Co.
This article is from Righteous Co.’s weekly newsletter, The Climb. If you want to see content like this and more, subscribe here to get The Climb right in your email box, every Righteous Wednesday. You can also follow along on Instagram @righteousco.
adam jarosz 