We all know about SMART goals, they have shown up everywhere, at work, with our personal trainers, in our small groups with our friends, and in our classrooms too. We know it… yes, be Specific, have Measures to assess progress, better be Attainable or what’s the point, Realistic- yup because this ain’t a dream, oh and Time-oriented because who is going after these goals for the rest of their lives, certainly not me.
But then, I was sitting in on training and the lady said “SMART-ER goals”. At first I thought she made a mistake so the Virgo in me logged it, and carried on. But then, sis said it again… and then had a Powerpoint to go with it too. I was like- Ah, this is on purpose and she has something to say so I better listen.
And get what she told me (I mean, other people were there but this is about me and her… and now me and you). She said- E= Enjoy and R= Resources and Roles
Ah, a lady after my own heart. Enjoy this life and know your lane (the latter part is the Veteran in me-stay in your lane soldier).
But, as I continued to get deeper into her thoughts, I reflected on the reality that the goals I enjoyed accomplishing and that I knew I could handle, were the ones I excelled at. Sure, I accomplished most of my goals because I had to learn discipline in life and motivation was secondary. But let me tell you honey, when I am enjoying something, I’m all in and rolling. Take today for instance, I had a couple SMARTER goals on my todo list and hours have passed since I sat down at my desk (10 hours, as a matter of fact) but if my watch didn’t tell me to stand up, I would have lost track of time and continued to work… because I have been enjoying my work and project so much.
So here we go with Enjoy…
Enjoyment is an emotion, one that pushes us in discipline, motivation, sacrifice and more. It feels good so we keep doing it… and then it leads to other emotions like pride, satisfaction, happiness, and more. When we enjoy something, it comes in spurts that keep renewing us and connecting us to the work. So what would happen if we enjoy the work the same way we enjoy our relaxation and self-care. Oh, the glory… to enjoy ALL of life!!
Roles and Resources…
Listen, we all have roles in our lives. Many of these roles help to create our identity, some of the roles may be a burden or assigned to us, while ideally, most roles should be those that we self-select, willingly and with passion (and enjoyment �� ). But the point I’m making is, we have roles and lanes… and we can’t do everything, and when we try to do everything, we burn out fast and that enjoyment morphs into resentment. So, when making our SMART-ER goals, we have to define early on what our role will be and what resources we have to invoke to allow us to stay in our lane and not burn out. Yes, we have to plan to NOT burn out… that’s what makes it smarteR!!!
So, as we engage in 2022 and set up our Vision Boards (other blog post) or make our SMART-ER goals, let me remind you to take enjoyment in what you do… and be sure not to burn yourself out while you are living this life.
Ashe ��
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