SMART goals are always a great place to start when crafting a plan, a vision, or a new goal. We have heard that for many years now.
The best way to attain goals is to be specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timely. Simple and to the point, not to mention, easy to remember. However, it may not go far enough for those who want to really push beyond the safe boundaries they have set for themselves.
If you had no fear of failure holding you back, would you really want to limit yourself to “attainable” and “realistic” goals? Your dreams say otherwise if you have been striving for a 3-day workweek, frequent travel, and enough money to fund even more of your adventures.
Those safe, smart goals alone may not help you reach your elevated aspirations. In fact, they may be holding you back.
Consider a scenario of setting an “attainable” goal of earning 10% more than you did last year. You may work 10% more, spend 10% more on ads or product creation, you may even reach out to 10% more potential clients.
In the end, you’ll likely earn about 10% more. While that’s great that you hit that goal, did that 10% goal inspire you to work harder? Perhaps it created a subconscious ceiling on your earning potential that you’re unable to break through.
Rather than focusing on goals that are attainable and realistic, savvy Goal Reapers know that the key to success without limits lies in creating lofty goals that feel like they are just out of reach, maybe even UN-attainable.
If you want to get beyond SMART goals, don’t strive to earn 10% more than last year. Dream big and reach for 50% or even 100% more. Stretch yourself. Find new and improved ways to do things, create systems, learn to delegate so that you can succeed beyond your expectations. This way you won’t have to work twice as hard, but remain open to the possibility of reaching goals that you may have believed were just out of reach.
Of course, you cannot simply set impossible goals and expect them to just materialize without working for them. That’s exactly why sometimes if you set aside those SMART goals, it’s actually pretty smart! If you set the bar higher for yourself, and push beyond those self-imposed “attainable” limits, you can reach for the stars, and often times surprise yourself.
While you may not double your income right away, you’re almost guaranteed to surpass a 10% increase. So push your boundaries and set big, audacious goals. Even if you don’t quite reach the stars, you’ll still be much further ahead than those SMART goals you once chased.
Are you ready to improve some area in your life with coaching? Reach out to start a conversation liz@goalreaper.com
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