Tuesday Slice: Big thinking vs SMART

When  the same idea presents itself to me from three different directions, I consider it a cosmic slap on the face:  it's time to stop and pay attention.  

I read it once, and thought, "Eh, I don't even know where to start."  So I skipped those pages in Leonie Dawson's Shining Life workbook.  For several years.

I read it again, and thought, "Surely, it's a waste of time.  I need to focus on what I can get done now."  But I bought the Cultivate What Matters goal-setting planner anyway; it was on sale.

I heard it again in Ruth Soukup's webinar on "Balanced Productivity".  And then I thought, "Ahhh, that makes sense."  And bought her Living Well, Spending Less planner for 2020.  (It was on sale, too.)

So what is this idea that took me by the shoulders and gently shook me awake?

We need BIG goals before we set SMART goals.

We need something to strive for, get excited about,  rattle our nerves a bit.  You know, the same feelings you got when you started your first days of elementary, middle, high school.  The feeling when you were exploring colleges and careers.  Heck, even when you purchased your first vehicle, or decided to get married or have a child.

Each of those events were BIG, life changing opportunities for growth.  Looking back, I don't recall actually writing down "I want to go to college", except maybe on a survey in high school.  And someone else laid out the SMART steps for me:  talk to the counselor, take the SAT, get your applications in on time.  The BIG goal was always there at the forefront, spurring me on to complete those SMART steps.

It's not the SMART goals that keep us going.  It's the BIG goal that gets us motivated to complete those small steps to the finish--though I hate to say "finish", because the BIG goal could be the beginning of something even greater.  The bigger the goal, the scarier it seems, the bigger the smile you get when you think about it--the better.  Keep them in plain sight every day, and set those SMART goals to get there.

As for myself, it's a lot more exciting to think of renovating our home than to constantly think of decluttering; going on a vacation is more exciting that saving money each month.  But in each case, the latter must happen before the former.  So I'm off to write some BIG goals, followed by some SMART steps.