Last week I discussed ways in which you should organize your goals, and some of the goals you should make. Whether that was a process goal, outcome goal, or performance goal, you need to have something you aspire for. Aspirations are essential and should be the focus. SMART goals are another way to organize your goal and keep you accountable and organized. SMART is an acronym for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time. Today's blog post will go over each step in the SMART goal process so you can start getting closer to achieving your dreams!

1. Specific

When making goals, they have to be precise and not too general. Saying you want to score goals is not specific. Something like, I want to score 15 goals, and five assists now give you specifics behind your goal. Saying you want to get better at passing is excellent, but saying you want to get better at your forward passing into the striker is even more specific!

2. Measurable

Being able to identify if you're getting closer or further away from your goal is critical. With goals, you're trying to achieve them, and if there is no way to achieve them, that is a waste of time. Scoring 15 goals and having five assists is easily measurable. 

3. Attainable

I love people that are ambitious and shoot for the moon. When shooting for the moon though, there still has to be some realism with your goals. If you have never played a single minute of varsity soccer, and are a senior, it will probably be unattainable to score 20 goals. If you need help in this area, have the conversation with someone who is going, being honest with you.

4. Relevant

Does this goal make sense? Does this goal align with what it is you trying to achieve? If you're trying to become a better one v one defender, you shouldn't be working on your cross. If you're a center back working on passing, you shouldn't be shooting. Make sure you're doing the appropriate drills to get better!

5. Time

Set a specific time that you want to try and achieve your goal. Time is good because it will keep you on your toes because you know you need to put in the work if you want to achieve your goals in the allotted time. Be mindful that even if the goal isn't complete in the time, that's ok, continue to make strides towards this!