The S.M.A.R.T (Goals) Enemy.

Goals play an essential part in our lives. It’s what defines us as individuals by helping us answer the question of why we’re doing what we’re doing. It also influences our thought process, which in turn determines the action we take or not.

If you ever wanted to accomplish anything meaningful (your dream car, a salary that makes you comfortable, a change in your career where people value you more, or perhaps more time spent with family), you likely had a couple of objectives in place to put yourself in a position to achieve the said goal.

That’s what a goal is: an outcome you want to achieve over a long period.
That’s how we as humans work. We always work toward the things we want, and even the most comfortable people work toward something, just that they work towards keeping themselves comfortable. That is a goal too.

We’re working towards the things we want all the time.

What are S.M.A.R.T goals?

Now that we know what goals are and what role they play in every individual’s life, the next question that may pop into your mind is:

How do I make sure that I increase not only my chances of achieving my goals, but also how can I speed up the process?

We look for shortcuts in everything. We want more and more things and as quickly as possible. And it makes sense. I would like to have results now rather than later too. But…

Those who are more successful resist this temptation of instant gratification. Instead, they focus on the big picture and reap the rewards in the future.
In order to delay gratification and maximize the chance of reaching a goal, some people use a popular goal-achieving system. You may have heard of it, it’s called S.M.A.R.T.

What does the S.M.A.R.T acronym mean?

I can see why this system is so popular. It makes you translate your vague idea into a clear intention, and we know that when you have a clear idea about where you want to go, the chances of you reaching the destination are high.
Clarity can also help you focus on the work that gets you closer to the goal. Because we know the ability to focus on one thing at a time in this day and age is quite rare.

Great, now that we know what a S.M.A.R.T system is and why people use it, let’s see how I’ll give you an example and then explain why I believe this system is rubbish and stands in your way of achieving true potential.
First, let’s start off with an example.

S.M.A.R.T Goal Example

Let’s say your hobby is photography, and you want to generate an additional source of income by monetizing your passion.
Here’s what would such a goal look like through the S.M.A.R.T layout:

– S (Specific): I want to teach others how to become better photographers and monetize my passion.
– M (Measurable): I will need to sell at least ten memberships for the premium content per month through my website.
– A (Achievable): I have to produce and upload at least two pieces of helpful content per week about photography, content that is both paid and free.
– R (Relevant): I need my website to have an average of 1000 visits per month in order to be profitable.
– T (Time-Oriented): I want this achieved in the next eight months.

Don’t get me wrong here.

I believe that the clearer the goal, the easier it is to reach it. However, the problem with the system is that the actions you take are WITHIN your comfort zone. It doesn’t push yourself. Let me explain.

HERE’S WHAT’S WRONG WITH S.M.A.R.T GOAL SYSTEM

When you initially set your goal, you unknowingly let fear decide whether or not you are capable. Instead of setting a challenging goal and growing as you advance, you are encouraged to downsize that big goal of yours to an “achievable” level. This way, it fits your current reality and won’t scare you. The self-limiting beliefs dictate your actions.

From the perspective of achievability, if we are to look at the example above where you want to add a new income stream, we can already see self-limitation: You are aiming for a goal that doesn’t really scare you and is near the comfort zone.

This leads us to the next issue: The time you allocate to achieve the goal.

Let me ask you this: How can you accurately assess how long it takes for you to achieve something you have never done before?
Short answer: you don’t because you don’t have the experience yet.

Commonly, people set the deadline far into the future. You think you’re giving yourself enough time to achieve the goal when, in reality, place the deadline too far into the future.

By granting yourself too much leeway, you get yourself covered by feelings of anxiety and disappointment. You basically pass the challenges to your future self. Again, it stems from insecurity and shortcomings.

In Conclusion:

I believe that the S.M.A.R.T theory is flawed as it doesn’t encourage you to pursue the goal you truly want, but rather something that is realistic and anyone can do.
It’s basically saying: “Don’t be a hero and stick to the script.”

Instead of encouraging growth, it forces you to diminish the goal.

It is a rigid system that doesn’t reward the progress you make whatsoever, and it only focuses on whether the goal is achieved in the time you allocated or not. A dangerous all-or-nothing way of thinking where failure can have a negative impact on your self-worth and discourage you in the future.

And the chance of you failing is high, especially when you work on something you have never done before. Because when you attempt something different for the first time and decide to betray your comfort, it is ridiculous to expect yourself to know how long the journey will take.

You pretty much start with a rough idea of what might work, often inaccurate, and adapt along the way.

Just remember that it is the journey that matters and not the destination. It’s about what we do every day to have the desired outcome because the result itself is something we don’t control.

Let me know what you think.