I’m Tired Of Playing Small With SMART Goals
Now, I Chase Inspirational Goals and Achieve Them Using SMART Tasks
Introduction
Have you ever set a goal, worked hard to achieve it, and then felt underwhelmed when you finally reached it?
When I started my first full-time software engineering job, I set a Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound (SMART) goal. My SMART goal was to reach $100,000 in retirement savings within five years. It was more money than I had ever saved, but it seemed possible when I crunched the numbers.
I diligently set aside 20% of my monthly paycheck and maxed out the company match in my 401k.
After a few years, I checked my account one day and realized I had reached — and even exceeded — my goal. But my reaction when I saw the number in my account?
“Oh, neat.”
I had no sense of accomplishment or excitement. I was confused that I felt so empty.
Why do some goals feel so underwhelming to achieve while others are so rewarding?
In this article, I want to discuss the limitations of setting SMART goals and how I now use a different approach that I find more meaningful and effective.
Why SMART Goals Held Me Back
While SMART goals can help track progress and set targets, I found it limited me when setting “achievable” goals.
I often felt uneasy about committing to objectives that seemed uncertain or too challenging to complete.
If I didn’t feel confident about succeeding, I always reduced the difficulty and extended the time frame until I felt certain I could achieve it.
Consequently, each goal became diluted — they all became too small to be meaningful.
What Makes A Goal Meaningful?
Over time, I have discovered my most meaningful accomplishments share the following:
- They are outside of my comfort zone
- There is an element of uncertainty involved — the sense that I am overcoming the odds adds to the meaning and impact
- They hold personal significance
In the process of achieving my most meaningful goals, I realize that who I identify as has changed in a fundamental way.
I went through a transformation and became someone who could complete my goal.
What Went Wrong With My Goal
In my previous retirement saving target, I lacked many elements of what I now know makes a goal meaningful.
I had to be mindful of my budget — but I already knew I could live frugally and save. It was well within my comfort zone.
There was no uncertainty involved with my goal either. I knew if I continued living my life the way I was, I would eventually hit my savings goal.
There was also no transformation. I achieved the goal, but it was the same for me, just 5 years later.
When I set “achievable” SMART goals, they never end up meaningful. I always limited “achievable” goals to
- within my comfort zone
- highly certain to complete
My SMART goals were not fulfilling — they were simply forgettable.
The Power of Inspirational Goals
Instead of setting realistic goals, try chasing inspirational goals that may seem impossible. These goals should be dreams you aspire to.
This unlocks thinking beyond your current limits.
I discovered that my most satisfying and powerful goals had something in common — I achieved what I once thought was impossible. In the process, I completed a journey and developed into someone who could achieve my wildest aspirations.
But still, achieving inspirational goals is easier said than done.
How SMART Tasks Can Help Achieve Inspirational Goals
When I finally reached my retirement savings goal, I felt unfulfilled. I realized that saving for retirement was not emotionally compelling.
Eventually, I discovered that what I truly wanted was financial freedom. I was inspired by the idea of not being tied to a job — being able to travel wherever I liked and doing whatever I wanted with my time.
The problem: I didn’t know how to make this happen.
I struggled to turn this vision into a SMART goal.
It didn’t feel achievable, so I was afraid to set a time frame. If I lowered the difficulty to within my comfort zone, something I knew how to achieve, it would become another forgettable retirement savings goal.
It was hard to take action. I was stuck.
It wasn’t until I let go of the SMART goals framework and started breaking down the daunting dream of financial freedom into more approachable sub-goals that my ambition felt achievable.
By doing this, I created a roadmap to financial freedom that felt achievable — ironically, through the use of SMART tasks.
To reach financial freedom, my passive income needed to exceed all of my living expenses. So I needed to both:
- reduce my expenses
- gain passive income
Breaking it down gave me a clear direction.
I was used to living cheaply, so goal #1 seemed easy, but I wasn’t sure how to tackle goal #2 — generate passive income. Luckily, I found a role model who showed me how she generates passive income through real estate. I set a goal to buy my first rental property within a year.
I broke down that goal into SMART tasks. I needed to:
- Save the down payment
- Learn how to analyze properties as investments
- Find and buy the property
I saved aggressively, continued educating myself on real estate investing, and eventually bought my first rental property. I actualized my first step in my pursuit of financial freedom.
When I received my first rent payment, I felt an incredible sense of excitement, success, and fulfillment.
It was so rewarding! I realized how far I had come.
I had made progress toward my initial “impossible” dream of financial freedom by breaking it down into smaller, doable steps. By setting SMART tasks, I started turning my dream into reality.
Conclusion
In my experience, setting “achievable” goals is not enough.
If you’re like me, “achievable” limits you to within your comfort zone, things that you won’t struggle to complete.
It’s worth setting goals that are outside of your comfort zone.
When you reach the end, you’ll realize that the true reward is not achieving the goal, but the journey you took to get there —how you made the uncomfortable, comfortable.
Therefore, set goals that require you to embark on a journey to achieve them.
By breaking down your dreams into SMART tasks, you can create a clear plan of action.
With each task you complete, you move closer to transforming yourself into the person you aspire to be. In this way, SMART tasks are the step-by-step plan to complete the journey and transformation.
What’s one thing you’ve always wanted to do but never thought was possible?
Life is too short to hold back. It’s time to make it happen!
