(audio version available at the end of this blog)

It’s hard to believe it, but we are half way through our latest Success U course.  This past week we analyzed our goals, goals where the achievement process raises our emotional and physical well-being while we avoid all that burn-out so many of us suffer from in the 21^st century.

One of the greatest lessons we learned:  Doggedly committing to a goal without careful prior analysis can make us prone to success myopia.  In short, just because you can accomplish something does not necessarily mean you should.

And the popular SMART goal construct, around since the early 1980s, is often to blame.

What is a SMART goal?  Well alas, not an acronym I created. It is one that is  . . .

S = Specific

M = Measurable

A = Achievable

R = Realistic

T = Time-Bound

Here’s an example of a SMART goal that does not necessarily contribute to our success.

A SMART Goal for Scott

Let’s say I want to compete in next April’s Boston Marathon.  I decide to create a daily plan with the help of a running trainer to make this goal attainable and reasonable.  And finally I promise to precisely follow the trainer’s recommendations, and I actually keep the promise.

Let’s analyze this goal just from the SMART perspective.

It is specific:  The Boston Marathon

It is measurable: The trainer will provide the benchmarks for me to reach.

It is achievable: Absolutely, if I abide by the program.

It is realistic: The time frame is tight but enough to make this a viable enterprise.

It is time-bound:  The event takes place mid-April 2015.

Done . . . Success guaranteed!

Not necessarily.

The kind of precision asked for within the SMART construct is just one factor in establishing whether a goal leads to our kind of success.

So as not to disappoint my acronym-obsessed readers I created my own, called HAPPY.  Let’s reexamine this goal from this new construct’s perspective.

H = Harmonious

How harmonious is this goal when I compare it to the other goals I have for myself?  Specifically to my life right now, to what extent is contemporaneously training for a marathon, moving to a new home, and starting a new business, a wise choice?  Not very . . .

A = Authentic

How value aligned and strength aligned is my marathon goal?  Although I love bold and consistent experimentation, I prefer it in my business and relational life and not with my exercise.  Also how is the achievement process of this goal likely to provide emotional well-being?  Less likely, because I have so much on my plate in early 2015, the addition of a marathon will likely exhaust me mentally and physically.  And when I am exhausted I get cranky, very cranky.

P = Practice Driven

No doubt this goal requires practice, I am just not convinced the practice would be well-being generating.  I get enormous well-being from 50 minute workouts 5-6 times a week where I take my time, listen to Neil Diamond, and wonder about the universe.

P = Precise

Indeed this is a precise goal, but precision accounts for only 20 percent of the HAPPY Goal construct . . .  just 20 percent.  Precision, for the sake of precision, does not contribute to the answer of the foundational goal question . . . why do I want this in the first place?

Y = Yielding

A child learns to walk after many failures because that youthful spirit propels them to learn and accept (often begrudgingly) that perhaps today is just not the day.  Goals that yield to the realities of our lives, and of the realities and limitations of our humanity more generally, create a safe space for us to explore knowing that perfectionism is an illusion.  Running a marathon for me would become an obsession; it would contribute to physical hubris; and it would make the effort difficult on my loved ones.

HAPPY Goals allow us to mostly enjoy the process of goal achievement for it contributes directly to our feelings of emotional and physical wellness.

Success U students spend a great deal of time formulating and reformulating goals that work for their specific lives.  Once you discover a mostly HAPPY goal, enjoy the ride because you are guaranteed an enriching experience.

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If you have any questions about coaching please feel free to contact me at scott@kineticcoaching.co, and remember I always offer a complimentary 30-45 minute session to prospective clients to determine if we want to work together.