S.W.A.T T.E.A.M your goals

Instead of goals being a fleeting thought after two champagnes on New Year’s Eve, get down and SWAT TEAM your goals to kick those bad habits and help you achieve more success in life. I find that when I use this acronym, I am highly successful in achieving my goals and get a sense of purpose and motivation from the achievement.

Here is how to SWAT TEAM your goal setting, and goal achievement!

S – Specific

Write you goals down and make sure that they are detailed. If you just say, “I want to lose weight” without any specifics, you are more likely to fail, as you have not thought about the journey to attainment. Write down the steps to achieve your goal and measure the results. For example, you can say I want to lose five kilos and then set yourself the time frame in which this is going to happen. If I lose .5 a kilo per week, I should have my goal weight in ten weeks. Tracking your progress helps you keep up your motivation during the long journey, so perhaps taking measurements every fortnight will reinforce your progress.

W – Why

Why is this goal so important for you to achieve? What is your motivation? If you articulate the necessity to attain the goal, this will help you when you are flagging in motivation. Brendon Burchard calls this 'Necessity' in his book, High Performance Habits (Pg 129), and writes “Necessity demands that you take action…you get things done because you have to.” Perhaps your ‘why’ (Your reason, Your necessity) for quitting smoking is because you want to model a healthy lifestyle to your children. Find your reason, attach meaning to 'why' this goal is so important, and revisit your 'why' when temptation strikes.

A – Accountability

To whom are you accountable? We are much more likely to follow through with things when we share the goal, or have a commitment with another person such as an exercise buddy, a mentor, a family member or a high performance coach. We are not perfect, and sometimes that little devil on your shoulder is going to be whispering excuses in your ear. If you have support from another person, they’ll have your back and help you through the tough times. Some other options might be to post your goals on social media, tell your family, get a personal training –there’ lots of support available, you just have to ask.

T – Time line

Open your diary and schedule how you are going to achieve you goals. Break your goal down into small steps and put them in your diary. What are the steps along the way at the 2 week mark, the 4 week mark and so on. It won’t happen if it’s not in the diary. Make sure you celebrate the wins along the way. You are working hard and deserve the credit!

T – Training

Do you have all the information to start achieving you goal, or do you needs more skills or information? Perhaps you need to buy a book on the subject your goal is about, take an online course, hire a personal trainer or a coach who has expertise in the area you are seeking to improve. Ask yourself what do I need to learn? What skills do I need to make this goal happen? You need to know how you are going to achieve your goal. BUT, don't use a lack of training as an excuse! I put it in so people can't say, "I don't know how, or what to do". Start the training, start learning now so that you will achieve your goal.

E – Enjoyment

Ask yourself, “What can I do to bring enjoyment to the process to achieving my goal?” Wire in enjoyment along the way. Harvard Business Review released the results of a study conducted in April 2007 on goal setting. The study concluded that the more the 800 participants enjoyed the process of achieving their goal, the more likelihood they were to attain their goal. Ask, 'How can I enjoy going to the gym? Could it be going with a buddy, or doing group fitness such as dancing, yoga or team sports?'

A – Achievement Obstacles

What is going to get in the way of you achieving your goal? What is going to trip you up or when do you lack motivation. Think about these times and what you are going to say to yourself to get you back on track. If you write these down, you will be ready for those challenges when they crop up and the self-doubt sets in.

M – Motivation

What do you need to do to increase your motivation on a daily or hourly basis? Plan for the times when motivation and willpower is going to dwindle. Perhaps getting frequent reminders in your phone will keep your mind on the end goal. Can you find a quote, or picture, or reason to push through the low periods and keep going. Tie your motivation back to your why.

These eight things have been researched and shown to help you achieve your goals over the long-term. Use this list as you think about your goals. For each goal or resolution you make, white out the acronym and write next to each letter what you are going to do. Put that piece of paper in a prominent place as a reminder that these goals matter, they are necessary, that you didn't just think them up on a whim, you have a plan and your are going to succeed.

Resources:

A couple of great books to help you with your goal setting:

Joe Sweeney – Moving the Needle

Brendon Burchard – High Performance Habits

Author- Nathan Archer is a Certified High Performance Coach who helps people to gain clarity on not only their goals, but the 6 key areas in life that lead to high performance. For more information on his coaching click here: Certified High Performance Coaching