Goal Setting
Categories: Living with Brain Injury
By Celeste Campbell, Psy.D.
Come with me on a trip! Ready? Let’s go! I imagine most of you are thinking, “A trip to where? How far is it? How are we getting there? Who else is going?” This is the essence of goal setting. You would not set out on a trip without a plan; getting somewhere in life also requires a plan.
A well-developed goal is a map. It should clearly define where you want to go and must clearly state the steps you have to take to get there. In this high-speed world, there are many demands upon our time, our energy, and our focus. Having specific goals helps us get back on track when life throws little detours and distractions at us — and it will!
Most of us have had the experience of feeling as though we have done a lot of work but have not accomplished anything. Most of the time, this is because the work was not organized or focused on a specific purpose. Setting goals helps us see whether what we are doing is getting us where we want to go. Setting goals also gives us motivation to keep moving. If it doesn’t really matter where we end up and if we have no place to go, it is hard to be motivated to move at all.
SMART is an acronym developed to help us remember the elements of a strong goal. SMART reminds us that a goal must be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. Let’s look at each one of these components.
A SMART goal is specific. If you say you want to travel, does traveling to the corner store count? Does it count if it is to another state? Another country? Do you want to go to a tropical place or travel to historically significant sites in Europe? If you define a specific destination, it is easy to tell when the goal has been achieved. Your brain focuses on the information you feed it. If your goal is vague, your brain doesn’t know what to focus on. If you have defined your goal very specifically, on the other hand, your brain will focus on recognizing opportunities that will move you toward that goal.
A SMART goal is measurable. How are you going to measure your goal and how will you know when you have reached it? A goal like, “I want to have more money,” is not measurable. If someone hands you a nickel, will you check this goal off your list? On the other hand, a goal that says, “I want to have enough money to buy a car,” is measurable. You can find out what that amount is and then figure out how much you have to set aside each week or month to achieve it by a specific date. You can even measure your progress each step of the way.
A SMART goal is achievable. It is within the realm of physical possibility so long as you have sufficient time, effort, and resources. Now, I am sure there are some people who have been told that their goals are unrealistic. I would argue that there are few goals that are unrealistic if enough time, effort, and resources are devoted to them. So, while a goal such as, “I want to sprout wings and fly to Jupiter on a skateboard,” may be unrealistic, other goals such as getting a job, getting married, living on your own, or traveling may seem beyond your reach now but are certainly achievable. The questions you should ask are, “What will it take to achieve it?” and “Am I willing to do what it takes?” Many goals labeled as time, effort, and resources that the cost far exceeds the benefit of achieving them. It is OK to change goals, especially if working on one goal means that the rest of your life will be thrown out of balance. Set your goals based on an honest assessment of what it might take to achieve them.
A SMART goal is relevant (to you). Setting goals to please other people is not going to motivate or excite you. A goal is something that will make a significant change in your life for the better. While a goal like, “I will learn to balance my checkbook,” may be meaningful, a goal like, “I will save up enough money to buy a car,” might be more motivating. Learning to balance the checkbook may be important, but will it be enough to excite or motivate you?
A SMART goal is time-bound. Many of us only take action when there is a sense of urgency. When you have a specific deadline for getting something done, you are more likely to get it done. Set a timeline for achieving your goal. This helps provide accountability and helps you measure how far along you are in achieving your goal. Setting time limits for each step helps to keep you moving at a steady pace toward it.
How do you go about goal-setting? Write Your Goals Down!
First, develop your ultimate “big picture” goal. Create a vision of how you want things to be. Make your goal as detailed as you can by describing who, what, when, where, and why you want to achieve this goal.
Second, break down your ultimate goal into long-term goals. Break down your long-term goals into smaller, short-term goals, and then again until you have a series of immediate goals. An immediate goal is something you could do today. If your goal is not broken down into something you could potentially do today, break it down even further. This way, you will have a very clear next step.
Dr. Celeste Campbell is a neuropsychologist who has been practicing for more than 25 years. She received her undergraduate degree at Yale University, holds a doctoral degree from Drexel University, and has completed a postdoctoral fellowship in rehabilitation neuropsychology at National Rehabilitation Hospital in Washington, D.C. She is licensed in Georgia and Virginia. When she is not practicing neuropsychology, Dr. Campbell might be found on the stage of a local community theater. Or she might be on a beach in Hawaii.
This article originally appeared in Volume 11, Issue 4 of THE Challenge! published in 2017.