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SMART Goals Vignette


Making goals SMART makes them much easier to achieve. A fictional short story to demonstrate how a SMART goal can be helpful.


smart goal

“This is it. This is the time I make it.”

Zayden let the giant plastic New Year glasses slide down his nose. He matched thousands of people in the crowd they were watching on the screen. An eyebrow raised. “Oh yeah? And what’s going to make this one different?”

“Some friend you are!” Elise punched Zayden’s shoulder. “I’m really going to do it this year.”

“I remember you saying that last year. Know how I remember? The number on this was slightly different,” Zayden pointed at his eye wear. “And the year before that and the year before that…”

“I know but this is it. Really. Don’t you believe in me?”

“Sure. For most things. But, if the past is the best predictor of future behavior then…”

“Stop right there. I don’t want to hear it.”

“You love cookies, Elise. Why would you even want to give them up for a whole year? I don’t know if you’ve even given them up for a whole day before.”

“I did! I went at least five days last year without them.”

“You mean when you got snowed in while on vacation and ran out of your cookie cache because you stress ate on the first day?”

“Is your shoulder hurting yet? Because I can punch it again. I’m not out of my punch supplies. Not now, not ever.”

“Look, I just don’t like to see you do this every year. We throw the big sparkly ball on the screen and you go nuts making these impossible goals.”

“They aren’t impossible!”

“They aren’t realistic!” Elise pouted. Zayden sighed and temporarily chose to remove the comically large glasses just in case they were leading to a loss in debate points. “How about some realistic goals this year? Or even, forget about New Year’s resolutions. How about a goal for this month? Or even this week? Start smaller.”

“Smaller? But aren’t you supposed to have goals that last a year?”

“I don’t know where you’ve heard that from.”

“It’s totally in the name.” She pronounced it slowly and too close to his face, “New Year’s Resolutions.”

He gently pushed her out of his bubble. “And how many people fail those because they go too big? I can say I’m going to go to the gym more this year. You know how I’d make that goal?”

“By going once…”

“Exactly. It’s a lame goal. It’s not like… specific enough. Besides, it doesn’t even take into account that I hate going to the gym.”

“So, what am I supposed to do?”

“What are you trying to do?”

“I feel guilty when I eat so many cookies. I hate that feeling.”

“Okay… so what would you get out of it if you ate fewer cookies?”

“I could probably be a healthier weight. And I’d have so much more money.”

Zayden grabbed his phone. She immediately leaned over his shoulder to watch him type. He opened up his messages with her and typed out.

This week I will spend no more than $10 dollars on cookies.

He glanced at her. “How’s that?”

“A cookie budget? It sounds good, I guess. I hadn’t thought of that. But, how am I going to stick to it?”

“Elise, I love you. You’re my best friend. And we can definitely tackle this. But the ball is about to drop and I want to share that with you. Can we table this for now?”

“Ooh. Using your fancy meeting talk on me. It’s like we’re adults now.”

“We are adults.”

“Never!”

Elise laughed and grabbed her traditional New Year’s kazoo while Zayden slipped his enormous glasses back on. They grabbed onto one another in excitement as the countdown to another year began.

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