Achieving goals can be difficult if you start with goals that are not truly attainable. When you use the SMART goal-setting model, the third step is to make goals achievable.

We’ve already discovered that making goals specific and measurable sets the stage for accomplishment. For the third part of our series on the SMART model, you’re ready to go further and examine the nature of the goals you’re setting. You need to determine if the goal is truly attainable - and there are several ways to do that, both at the beginning of the goal-setting process and when goals have already been determined. Remember to think about the things you want to achieve in your life and use them as examples as you progress through the goal-setting series.

Anyone with a goal must believe in the goal and its possibility of being accomplished. Let’s say your goal in relationships is to spend more time with your family. You’ve made this goal specific by answering who, what, where, when, which, and why. You’ve also looked at ways to make the goal measurable by breaking it into benchmarks and putting a timeline on it. But is this goal truly attainable? To determine this, you must take an unbiased look at yourself - and your true abilities. If your goal is to spend eight hours of quality time per week with your family, you must examine the constraints that may occur regarding the goal. If you travel four days each week, eight hours may be hard to accomplish. What if you share custody of your children? Will this have an effect on the time you can spend with them? These are the questions you must ask to determine if your goal is achievable.

Before setting goals, a good practice is to brainstorm ambitious goals along with “over-the-top” goals. Spending eight hours a week with your family may be an ambitious goal, but what about becoming self-employed and working from home in order to be around 40 hours a week? As you brainstorm, you’ll have an obvious feeling about which goals are ambitious and which ones are simply not attainable. This exercise serves to put perspective on what you’re trying to accomplish. Another technique is to brainstorm more goals than you require: if you want to set five goals, brainstorm until you have a list of ten or fifteen. This is also a way to prioritize and put perspective on the goals you actually set out to accomplish.

When you create attainable goals in a business setting, you’re setting the stage for buy-in from the person who has to accomplish the goal. That person, be it yourself or an employee, will believe in the goal and in the ability to achieve it. Managers and employees also give themselves the opportunity to take a good look at ability and willingness.

Consider the areas of your life in which you’d like to see a change. Are your goals attainable? Look at your “to-do” list today and make sure you’ve set goals that are. Using the SMART model to set goals makes them believable and attainable. By making sure goals are achievable, you’re strengthening belief in your talents, skills, and abilities - and the commitment to making positive changes in your life.