Why SMART Goals Fail

When you search for how to set and achieve goals, SMART goals are undoubtedly mentioned. This goal setting technique was originally developed for managers to help achieve team objectives. SMART goals are now widely known and have popularized into personal goals.

The acronym SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Rel…Relevant, (yawn) and Time-bouuund…zzzz….zzzz.

Sorry about that – the sheer boredom lulled me to sleep. You, too? At the risk of boring you even further, here’s what the acronym means (stick with me here).

Specific – make your goals specific, so you can plan on how to achieve the goal;

Measurable – define metrics or key evidence about the goal, so you can see progression and completion;

Achievable – the goal should be reasonable and accomplished within a certain time frame;

Relevant – the goal is relevant to your values and long-term objectives; and

Time-bound – the goal should have a realistic end date.

That seems like a smart path to goal achievement, but a fundamental flaw exists with the SMART goal method. Let me explain.

Imagine Frodo Baggins, from The Lord of the Rings, setting a SMART goal. What would that look like?

“Frodo, take the ring to Mount Doom and destroy it in the fiery volcanic lava. You will become the greatest Hobbit that ever lived, the Hobbit that saved Middle Earth,” said Gandalf.

“That’s an epic goal, Gandalf. But I was leaning towards a specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound goal,” said Frodo.

“Whatcha think about this: I intend to take the ring to Rivendell and give it to Lord Elrond (specific, measurable, and achievable) by May 31, 2021 (time-bound). Then, I will make haste to the Shire just in time for the beer and sausage festival (relevant to a Hobbit’s lifestyle).”

Wow. That’s a snoozer. Way to stretch yourself there, Frodo. Bye bye Middle Earth.

As the old saying goes, “You can’t bore people into buying from you.” The same truth applies to your goals - you can’t bore yourself into achieving a goal. While SMART goals look good on paper, they do little to arouse emotion. The SMART goal is too logical and mind-heavy; it’s missing the emotional energy behind the goal. Therefore, the goal has little power, and progress soon fizzles out.

How to set goals you will actually achieve

Okay, now that I’ve convinced you, and hopefully Frodo, to ditch those SMART goals, how do you set meaningful goals that you will actually achieve?

1) The goal must stretch you

Most people set performance based goals. They usually go after achieving a number outcome, such as a certain body weight, income number, or distance record. Performance based goals are generally graspable and within reach; you don’t have to stretch outside of your comfort limits.

The problem with these SMART goals is that once you hit the first or second challenge, it’s easy to abandon the goal because the pay-offs aren’t worth the effort. So you may set a lot of goals, but only achieve a small percentage of them.

A stretch goal, however, lives outside of your comfort zone. The stretch goal journey involves growth, and in most cases, an identity shift – you must become a different person to achieve the goal. On the surface, a stretch goal looks harder to achieve. The shocking truth, however, is that stretch goals are often easier to accomplish than a realistic SMART goal.

There are two reasons for this phenomenon. First, stretch goals have less competition. The bigger the goal, the less people going after it. With less competition, it is easier to come out on top.

Second, a stretch goal returns greater rewards for the effort. Therefore, it’s easier to cultivate desire and sustain motivation until the goal is achieved.

For example, let’s set a SMART goal to complete a 10K run in the next six months. You’re not really a runner, but your friends are doing it, so you decide to jump in on the challenge. After a couple of weeks of training, you finally run one successful mile. The effort to run a mile was painful, and you decide that the pain of running is not worth the reward. So you quit the goal. You think to yourself, “So what if I complete a 10K. Millions of people have done it. No biggie.” Another goal bites the dust.

What if you change the goal from completing a 10K to winning the Iron Man competition 3 years from now? Now that’s a stretch goal. Not everyone can say they have completed, or even attempted, an Iron Man competition. Whether or not you win the Iron Man competition, the gains from completing the Iron Man is 10x the gains from a 10K run. You will experience positive health and body benefits, have new found strength, and you will have new mental and emotional capacities.

If you really commit to this goal, the rewards and benefits of achieving the goal will provide the sustained desire and motivation to keep going. It will feel like you’re being pulled toward accomplishing the goal rather than pushed to achievement.

How do you set a stretch goal? Ask, “Who do I want to become 3 years from now? What do I want to experience in the next 3 years? What is something totally unrealistic for me to go after?”

2) Focus on the relationship

For every failed goal, there was a failed relationship with the goal. Most people don’t scratch the surface of their goals. They set a goal and immediately begin questioning “HOW – how do I achieve this goal?” The HOW is important, but equally important is the WHY.

The WHY is the relational aspect of the goal. Why you want something brings meaning and purpose to your life. A definite major purpose behind the goal makes you unstoppable. This is how normal human beings are able to lift cars off of people trapped beneath them. All goals start out flat. Defining your WHY rounds out the goal and makes it a real, tangible thing to become and achieve. A strong WHY engages your emotions and provides motivation.

When defining your WHY, focus on the “me and we” aspect of the goal. The me is self-authoring and defines all the reasons as to why the goal is important to you – what the goal would do for your life. Leaving the WHY at the me, however, risks sustainable motivation. You will have to rely on willpower to muscle through the challenges.

Making a goal bigger than yourself invites a greater force to pull you along the journey. Your goal shifts to a larger purpose that is in service to others. A larger purpose strengthens the commitment to the goal and you’re likely to follow through with the necessary actions.

For example, are you more likely to wake up at 5 AM and run 5 miles on your own when no one is watching? Or, are the chances of success greater if you’ve committed to meeting a friend at the beach for the 5 AM run? The we is always stronger than the me. It’s a lot harder to break a commitment when you stretch outside of yourself and involve others.

How can you reframe your goals to include “me and we?” To engage a strong WHY, answer these questions about your goal. What does achieving this goal mean to you? Why would other people care if you achieve your goal?

3) Make a goal contract

Have you ever heard of the concept called forcing functions? A forcing function positions you, by design, in a situation that increases your chances of success. For example, you market and sell your live workshop before having any workshop material developed. When all seats sell out, you’re forced to produce the workshop material and deliver on your promises, or you risk refunds and a bad reputation.

A goal contract is a forcing function; it’s like a promise to pay. The document states your goal, your promise to complete the goal, and your intended date of completion. Two blank lines are at the bottom of the contract. One line is for you to sign and the other line is for a witness to sign. The witness is a friend, family member, spouse or co-worker.

Having a contract like this adds good friction to the goal. The friction forces you to stay committed, so you don’t renege at a later date. Nobody wants to break a promise, especially a promise that you signed and involves a witness.

Conclusion

While SMART goals look good on paper, they’re harder to achieve because you’ll have to push through the trials and tribulations. The next time you consider setting a SMART goal, I recommend ditching it for a goal that will stretch outside of your comfort zone. Define the WHY to your goal and make a goal contract with someone to position yourself in a forcing function. Remember, the bigger the goal, the easier it will be to achieve because you’re activating that pull motivation.