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We know that goals need to be SMART i.e. Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-bound. But what else can motivate and help us bring us about the changes we hope for? Here are some ideas that go beyond SMART goal-setting – to do with meaning and value, character strengths, attitude, behaviour, reward and support.

Goal-Setting Key 1: Find meaning linked to your values

Does your goal have meaning? How important is it for you to achieve it? I was recently struck by the reasons given by three dieters for wanting to lose weight. All were morbidly obese and had tried losing weight for years.

The first, Sammy, felt that he had disappointed his son and wife, ‘constantly letting them down’. Jo’s wish was to be ‘a fun and fit granny’; able to play actively with her grandchildren; something that was difficult as she could not comfortably move around. Sara tearfully explained ‘I want to still be here when my daughter grows up and has children of her own’.

Sammy, Jo and Sara valued their loved ones and recognised the impact of their behaviour on them. They all wanted to lose weight but recognising what they valued, gave their goal meaning. This in turn increased their motivation and commitment.

Goal-Setting Key 2: Use goal prompts

A goal reminder can also be helpful as a motivator. Jonathan’s goal was to meditate daily which he hoped would help him in his spiritual journey. In the past he had meditated regularly and found it also helped his wellbeing. He thought carefully about what might encourage him to get started, and to keep going. Jonathan chose a statue of a Buddha, which he placed in the room in which he was to meditate, and also a number of inspirational quotations which he put by his bed, and around the house.

As for the dieters, when the going got tough, as indeed it would, Sammy, Jo and Sara could remind themselves why they were so determined to lose weight. Sara decided to carry a photo of her daughter with her as a reminder, Sammy had a letter from his son telling him how proud he was that he had put himself forward for the weight-loss programme, and Jo had a picture drawn by one of her grandchildren of ‘me and my granny playing’.

We are all motivated differently and it is important to find a goal prompt that is not only a reminder but that ideally also reflects why it is important for you to achieve your goal.

Goal-Setting Key 3: Use the strengths of your character

Do you recognise your personal strengths, and how you can use them? Cara’s goal was to develop a workshop with a colleague she did not know well. Much has been written in positive psychology about the importance of recognising and using our character strengths in daily life. Cara took the free VIA test (http://www.viacharacter.org/www/) and found that her strongest and most natural (‘signature’) strengths were ‘creativity’, ‘perseverance’, and ‘love of learning’. She also learned that her lesser strengths included ‘teamwork’ and ‘humility’.

In her background reading and research Cara enjoyed building on her existing knowledge (‘love of learning’), whilst her creativity allowed her to develop imaginative ways of putting this knowledge across. She enjoys completing tasks and hoped that her strength for ‘perseverance’ would help her to overcome obstacles along the way. However reflecting on her lesser strengths Cara was aware that she may have to put extra effort into sharing and collaborating with her colleague as her preference was to work independently. She was also wary of appearing over-confident, or even arrogant.

Goal-Setting Key 4: Prepare for the worst (and hope for the best)

Fantasising about how wonderful life will be when you reach your goal might make you feel good, but is unlikely to help you make it happen unless you also imagine what might get in the way, and think through solutions. Research suggests this is because you may become complacent about barriers and difficulties that might emerge, in other words, over-relaxed and possibly over-confident of success.

Donna was determined that this time she really would be able to deal with her clutter. She had lived alone in the same spacious house for years, and was a sucker for bargains. Donna had two of many household items ‘just in case’, and had also inherited furniture and paintings from family members. So Donna visualised a clear home and made a plan using the SMART process that she hoped would help her to get there. However she had done this in the past but had still not achieved her goal; something had always got in the way. Although Donna was hoping for the best she realised that this time she also needed to prepare for the worst.

For each stage of the plan, each sub-goal, Donna imagined what might go wrong, and what hurdles there might be, and how she might deal with these. She realised that some of these might not happen, and others might emerge, but this time she was far better prepared. And for the first time, she was successful. The challenge now was to keep her home clutter-free!

Goal-Setting Key 5: Record your progress, reward yourself and celebrate

You may have developed a brilliant step-by-step plan, but have you been as careful about keeping a note of your progress? A typical weight-loss programme will encourage dieters to record what they eat and how much they exercise, and the group leader or dieter will record weekly changes in their weight. This record of progress through sub-goals towards the final goal can be motivating.

John was trying to cut down on his drinking by having some alcohol-free days each week. John’s goal was to have a minimum of 4 drink-free days a week, over a period of 3 months. He registered with https://www.drinkaware.co.uk/ so that he could keep a daily log of his alcohol consumption. For the first month his partner also encouraged him by creating a star-chart, similar to ones she had used with their young child. Every drink-free day, he was rewarded with a gold star, and when he had 7 stars his partner cooked a special meal for him. Clearly having a personal (and very public) star-chart would not work for everyone, but John loved the novelty of it and was happy to share his successes!

The star-chart could be seen as a type of reward, and when planning the path to the goal, building in rewards at different stages can be helpful, as well as deciding on a reward when the end goal has been achieved. John was able to use the money that he had saved from his lower alcohol use to take his family away for a weekend. He found sharing his achievements with loved ones was also special.

Goal-Setting Key 6: Go public and get support

When you set a goal, do you tell people what you are hoping to achieve? And do you ask for support, especially when things get difficult? In our last example, John told his wife about his desire to reduce his drinking (‘go public’), and in return she offered encouragement (‘get support’).

Nick was recently promoted into his first management role. Although he was settling in well and enjoying the new responsibilities, he was finding it difficult to write reports in the more formal style required of someone at his level. His goal was to develop the skills and feel more confident about this aspect of the role. Nick felt awkward and rather embarrassed about his lack of experience, and this was beginning to affect his self-esteem. However his own manager Toni had recently complimented him on his communication skills and team-working, and Nick decided to pluck up courage and ask her for support. To his surprise Toni welcomed his openness and reassured him that what he was experiencing was fairly common. She told Nick about some training and between them developed his learning goals, and planned a review of progress some time later.

Nick was clear about his goal and by telling someone about it he was able to receive the support he needed. He also realised that by ‘making it public’, he would be more motivated to do what was necessary to achieve the goal.

Summing up
1.Does your goal have meaning? How important is it for you to achieve it? How committed are you on a scale on 1-10? The more committed you are, the more likely you are to achieve success.
2.What can remind you of your goal (and why you want to achieve it)? Where can you place these prompts, and how often do you want to see them? Can these reminders act as motivators as well by reflecting your values or why you want to realise your goal?
3.What are your ‘character strengths’ (http://www.viacharacter.org/www/)? How will using the ones that are strongest help you to reach your goal? Do you need to be careful you don’t over-use a particular strength? Will it help to develop some of your weaker strengths?
4.What will the benefits of success be, and can you visualise your achievement? Make this image as vivid as you can. But – can you also think of possible obstacles and difficulties that might arise at each stage? Are you able to think of ways to deal with these?
5.How will you record your progress? How will you reward yourself as you achieve your sub-goals? Are your rewards ones that will make you feel that you are making progress, rather than possibly sabotaging your end-goal? How will you celebrate when you get to the end?
6.Who will you tell about your goal? Do you have family, friends, colleagues or neighbours who can encourage and support you? Might making a public commitment through Stikk.com (https://www.stickk.com/) be helpful? Have you thought of seeking help from an on-line forum or joining a local support group?