With the new year approaching, many people start to set new goals, or what we also call ' ‘New Year’s resolutions' ', for themselves. It is good to note that during this time of year, individuals are also taking the time to evaluate our previous goals from the past year. Did we achieve what we set for ourselves? Do we need to make adjustments for the upcoming year? What barriers got in our way this past year in completing these? So forth and so on. SMART goals can be a great way to set us up for success when evaluating and setting goals.
So what does SMART stand for? S stands for specific, which means making your goal specific and narrow in on what you are trying to achieve. M stands for measurable, which is important due to needing to be able to measure your progress along the way to achieving your specific goal. A stands for achievable, because when we set ourselves up with unattainable goals, we are setting ourselves up for failure. This is something we want to avoid. R stands for relevant, which means your goal needs to be aligning with your values and have a “why” behind it. When we have a big “why” behind our goal, this will help motivate us to continue to work towards our goal long term. T stands for time-based. It is important to give ourselves an attainable time frame to achieve the goal we are setting.
When setting and working on these identified goals, it can be beneficial to gain support by a mental health professional during this process if we find difficulty at all. Research has shown setting goals in counseling treatment in a SMART goal format can increase the likelihood of making the change you desire to make, as well having professional help can assist you through this journey, specifically with accountability, as well with gaining coping skills to overcome the obstacles that arise reaching your identified goal.
If this is something you’d like additional assistance with, call us at 859.338.0466 to schedule an appointment with one of our Mental Health Professionals. Our current offices are located in Lexington, Frankfort, and Richmond, KY. At the Offices of Paul Dalton - Lexington Counseling and Psychiatry, we have been trusted mental health professionals in Central Kentucky for over 22 years!
Supporting Articles:
https://your.yale.edu/hit-mark-when-you-set-smart-goals
https://www.samhsa.gov/sites/default/files/nc-smart-goals-fact-sheet.pdf
https://www.verywellmind.com/smart-goals-for-lifestyle-change-2224097#:~:text=Setting%20SMART%20goals%20in%20therapy,relevant%2C%20and%20time%2Dbound.
