Why Do You Keep Giving Up?: Your Goals Are Too Big And Not SMART Enough
Let’s be honest. You’ve probably abandoned a goal because you felt it was too big or too vague.
I have been guilty of that myself on numerous occasions. I can’t count the number of side projects I have started and did not finish because my ambition was too high or the vision was not specific enough.
I would nail the brainstorming phase with plenty of out-of-the-box ideas, but I would lack a clear structure to implement them in a systematic way.
This generated a tremendous amount of frustration and on occasion impacted my usually unshakable self-esteem.
“If I am unable to do what I have set myself to do, it means I am not good enough, I am just a fraud”
Fortunately this is now an element of the past.
Since then, I have thoroughly researched and implemented systems that are benefiting my current projects and goals.
I am going to share with you a very simple formula I have applied, allowing me to reach most of my goals in a steady and pleasurable way.
Step 1: Break them down
Let’s take a not so random goal: “doing a muscle-up”.
This is one of the most badass calisthenics moves one can learn.
If you’ve never worked-out in your life and you decide you want to be able to do a muscle-up, you will most likely fail. The task will be so daunting it will crush your motivation really fast.
“But failure is part of success, right? And each failure comes with plenty of learning”
It’s true, but science shows you don’t want to fail too often. The optimal failure rate to be successful is 16%. More than that (the challenge is too big) and you are at risk of abandoning whatever you are pursuing. Less than that (the challenge is too small) and you will not get the necessary learnings from the failures.
If the goal is too big, break it down. First start building your calisthenics skills with basic exercises (push-ups, pull-ups, dips). Gradually increase the repetition. Let your body get stronger. Master the foundations. It might take months, if not years. And then only you can work on the muscle-up.
It all boils down to a famous neurotransmitter called dopamine. It controls your motivation, drive and sense of pleasure. Smaller goals are more achievable and will therefore generate more pleasure for you when you achieve them. By breaking down a big goal into smaller ones, you are tricking your brain into deriving continuous pleasure in the journey towards doing something difficult.
At this stage, you are probably thinking:
“Come on man, this is not rocket science”
And it is not supposed to be.
But there is a difference between theory and practice. How often do you apply this basic principle? And with how much rigor and discipline?
Maybe this article can at least serve as a reminder you should do it more often 😉.
Step 2: Make them SMART
Breaking the goal down can do the trick but if you want to optimise your progress, you should make the intermediary goals SMART.
SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-bound. It is a framework to make your objectives attainable within a certain time-frame.
- Specific: Define your goals with clarity and precision. Be clear about what you want to accomplish.
- Measurable: Establish metrics to track your progress. Numbers don’t lie!
- Achievable: Set realistic goals that push you out of your comfort zone but are within your reach.
- Relevant: Ensure your goals align with your values and aspirations. Stay true to what matters most to you.
- Time-bound: Set deadlines to keep yourself accountable and motivated.
A key idea here is to treat your personal goal with the same rigour and “work ethic” you treat the tasks in your job.
Why would you do otherwise? If a personal goal is really important and will fulfil you, why not apply processes and frameworks to achieve it, just as you do with work-related objectives?
Let’s take the following goal to illustrate the approach: “Generate $1k per month from my newsletter Holistic Insights”
Let’s assess how SMART it is.
Is it specific? Yes
Can you measure it? Yes
Is it achievable? With a proper execution, yes
Is it relevant? Yes. I find the mission of my newsletter meaningful and generating more passive income from it could gradually put me in a position where I can spend more time on it
Is it time-bound? No
So, this is a dumb goal.
A better goal would be: “Generate $1k per month from my newsletter Holistic Insight within a year”.
And the beauty with this framework is you can break down a SMART goal into other SMART goals, just like nesting dolls to make it even more achievable.
This is particularly relevant for the goal we just set. One year is quite a long time, so we should set intermediary objectives to maintain our motivation.
Let’s break it down further:
- Have 50 subscribers after 2 months
- Have 150 subscribers after 4 months
- Have 500 subscribers after 6 months
- Have 1000 subscribers after 8 months and apply subscription fee of $8 per month
- Have 100 paid subscriptions at 8 USD per month (total $800 per month) after 10 months
- Have 125 paid subscriptions at 8 USD per month (total $1k per month) after 12 months
Here the only doubt we can have is regarding the “A” part of SMART.
Some of you might think “it’s definitely doable”, others might think “this guy is delusional”.
You will have your reasons (objective and subjective) to think you can achieve a SMART goal or not. If you are incorrect, you will soon find out.
If you overestimate your ability, It doesn’t mean you have to quit, it just means you have to adjust and be more realistic. If you underestimate them, don’t be afraid of raising the bar you set for yourself.
As usual, common sense will be your best friend.
Conclusion
Outside of the specific formula shown in the article, there is a wider takeaway.
The difference between achieving a goal or dream and not doing so can just be the systematic implementation of simple principles and frameworks.
By providing more structure, not only do they increase our chance of reaching the destination, but they also bring clarity and enjoyment to the journey.
