SMART goals, break-down and example

SMART goals can be applied to almost anything you can set a goal to. I have given you the break-down with an example of a real goal I have for this year. Read on and Run Fearless.

S(pecfic)	I want to make the BYU Men’s Cross-Country team.
M(easurable)	I will run 4 miles in 21:50 or faster to at least make it into BYU’s top 20 (Based on the results from the first race of the season that doubles as a try-out race)
A(ttainable)	To run 21:50 I need to be able to run 4 consecutive miles in 5:27.5 per mile (5 min 27 sec 5tenths) (My time last year was 22:32 It was a 30 sec improvement from the previous 4 miler I did, and I was also battling heat exhaustion (during the 22:32.) So with that said I think I can do it. I also ran a 3 mile time-trial on the track, by myself, all-out on Saturday May 1st averaging 5:35 per mile so I think it’ll be possible to get there.)
R(ange)	I like to make several goals, some that are pretty attainable and then some that make me stretch even more. In high school I learned from my coaches to make a 3-range goal 1 being achievable, 2 being lofty and 3 being superhuman (for me, not for anyone else). Achievable: 21:50; Lofty: 20:28; Superhuman: 20:16 and For my purposes I LOVE to just dream about breaking 5 minutes each time and going sub 20:00.
T(imed)	This will happen at the end of the 1st or 2nd week of September.

The first known uses of the term occur in the November 1981 issue of Management Review by George T. Doran. The change from R(Realistic, Reachable) to R(Range) was made by Scott Baird.