NLP SMART Goals
NLP SMART goals are a robust framework beyond traditional goal-setting, offering clarity, alignment with values, and a holistic approach to your life. This system helps refine and edit goals to ensure they resonate deeply and are achievable. By carefully editing your goals using the NLP SMART framework, you can ensure they are actionable and aligned with your broader life vision.
Why Does This Matter?
Setting goals is a well-known strategy for success, and not all goals are created equal. Traditional SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Timed) are an excellent foundation. NLP SMART goals take things further. This framework ensures that your goals are meaningful to you, in harmony with other areas of your life, and stated positively. It helps refine goals, making them more attainable and fulfilling.
It’s important to remember that NLP SMART goals are meant to be used after you’ve written your initial goal. Writing and editing are different tasks. Start by putting your goal on paper. Then, use the NLP SMART framework to refine and adjust it, ensuring your goal is well-structured and achievable.
What Are NLP SMART Goals?
Let’s break down each part of the NLP SMART goal-setting formula and apply it as an editing tool:
S – Specific and Simple
Specific:
Your goal needs to be clear and specific. Rather than a vague goal like, “I want to be healthier,” refine it to something like, “I am improving my overall health by eating more nutritious foods, exercising regularly, and maintaining a healthy lifestyle.” This ensures that your goal covers the various aspects of what being healthier means to you. When editing your goal, ask yourself:
Is your goal stated clearly and without ambiguity?
What exactly do you want to accomplish?
Simple:
In addition to being specific, your goal should also be simple. Overcomplicating goals can make them feel overwhelming. Breaking complex goals into smaller, manageable tasks helps maintain focus and avoid burnout. Ask:
Have you simplified your goal to its core elements?
Is it easy to understand and follow?
M – Measurable and Meaningful to You
Measurable:
Measurable goals allow you to track progress and stay motivated. Without clear metrics, it’s hard to gauge success. For example, instead of saying, “I want to improve my public speaking,” you might set a measurable goal like, “I will practice speaking in front of an audience once a week and receive feedback from at least one peer after each session.” This approach gives you concrete indicators of improvement. When editing your goal, ask yourself:
How will you measure progress toward your goal?
What indicators show that you’re moving forward?
Meaningful to You:
Goals should resonate with your values. If a goal doesn’t feel meaningful, motivation can quickly wane. Ask yourself:
Why does this goal matter to you personally?
How does it align with your values and desires?
A – Achievable, All Areas of Your Life, and As If Now
Achievable:
Ensure your goal is possible based on a clear plan or model to follow. Without a solid framework, even achievable goals can seem unattainable. Ask:
Is there a clear plan or model that shows how to achieve this goal?
What steps will help ensure it’s attainable?
For example, training for a marathon may be achievable with a solid training plan. It still requires commitment and effort. Achievability comes down to having a path toward success.
All Areas of Your Life:
NLP SMART goals consider how a goal impacts all areas of your life. A goal can enhance, not disrupt, other aspects. Ask:
Does this goal positively impact multiple areas of my life (e.g., spiritual, mental, emotional, physical)?
How does this goal harmonize with other aspects of my life?
As If Now:
Write your goal using past and present-tense verbs as if you have already achieved it. This helps your unconscious align with your goal. Ask:
Have you written your goal in the present tense as if you’ve already achieved it?
Does it feel real and attainable because of this phrasing?
For example, instead of writing, “I will be fit,” say, “I am fit and active.”
R – Realistic and Responsible/Ecological
Realistic:
While a goal may be achievable, it also needs to be realistic, given your available resources, such as time, money, and support. Ask:
Do you have the resources (e.g., time, money, support) to realistically pursue this goal?
What changes might be necessary to make this goal realistic?
For example, while training for a marathon might be achievable for someone with the right skills and commitment, it may only be realistic if they have the necessary resources or support system to follow the plan effectively.
Responsible/Ecological:
In NLP, “ecology” refers to the impact of your goals on yourself and the world around you. Responsible goals benefit you and others as well. Ask:
Is this goal good for me?
Is it good for others?
Does it have a positive impact on my community or the larger world?
Responsible and ecologically sound goals are more sustainable, ensuring long-term success that benefits everyone involved.
T – Timed and Toward What You Want
Timed:
Your goals need a clear time frame. A time frame creates urgency and helps keep you accountable. Ask:
Have you set a specific date for achieving this goal?
Have you broken the timeline into manageable milestones?
For example, instead of saying, “I will live a healthy lifestyle,” say, “For three months, I have been living a healthy lifestyle.”
Toward What You Want:
Frame your goals positively. Focus on what you want to achieve, not what you want to avoid. Ask:
Does your goal focus on moving toward what you want?
Are you concentrating on the positive outcomes you seek rather than the negatives you want to avoid?
For instance, rather than saying, “I don’t want to be unhealthy,” say, “I am fit and healthy.” This framing directs your energy toward achieving the desired outcome.
How Can You Apply This?
Consider each part carefully when editing your goals using the NLP SMART framework. Here’s how you can apply the process:
Get Specific: Write down exactly what you want to achieve. Simplify complex goals into smaller tasks.
Measure Progress: Set clear criteria for tracking progress and ensure your goal is meaningful to you.
Align with Your Life: Ensure your goal fits all areas of your life and consider its impact on others.
Use Present-Tense Language: Phrase your goal as if it’s happening now to reinforce belief.
Set a Time Frame: Include a deadline and focus on what you want to achieve.
Practical Exercise:
Take one goal you have and apply the NLP SMART framework.
Start by making it specific and measurable, then assess if it’s achievable and realistic.
Ensure it fits with your life, and use positive, present-tense language to frame it.
Exploring the Impact
When you set and refine NLP SMART goals, you work toward specific outcomes and align them with your deeper values and life vision. This balanced approach ensures your goals are meaningful, realistic, and sustainable. By integrating personal well-being into the process, NLP SMART goals provide a framework for long-term success in all areas of your life.
Note: In an upcoming post, we’ll explore Keys to Achievable Outcomes, which go hand in hand with NLP SMART goals when constructing and editing your goals.
Consider This: How might your current goals change if you applied the NLP SMART framework? What additional insights could help you achieve your objectives with greater clarity and intention?
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