You’ve learned how to set specific, measurable, and achievable goals. The fourth step of the SMART model helps you determine if goals are truly realistic.

We already know that our goals must be smart, measurable, and achievable. In the fourth part of our series on SMART goals, let’s look at the need to make goals realistic. This step is a natural tie-in to achievable goals, but goes a step further. As with achievable goals, creating realistic goals ensures that you take a good look at yourself, or the person you’re setting goals for, and truly evaluate willingness, skills, and abilities. What are the changes you want to make this year in certain areas of your life, such as health, career, relationships, finances, and persona growth? Think about them as you learn how to choose realistic goals.

Let’s look at a financial goal to invest $500 each week until July 31. Investment can involve many things, such as education, brokerage accounts, and discipline. Look at the goal from the perspective of learning - do you know anything about investments? Have you analyzed your disposable income to see if $500 is left over each week? Should you give yourself more time, such as $500 twice a month until December 31, in order to make this goal more realistic? If you set goals that are unrealistic to begin with, your commitment to them starts out low and continues to drop.

The other side of setting realistic goals is the inclination to make them too easy. Remember that a realistic goal should stretch the ability of the person attempting to achieve it, but it shouldn’t break the person in half. Let’s say you analyze your financial statements and determine that $750 every two weeks is what you really have left to invest. Are you going to leave the goal at $500 every two weeks? Setting a realistic goal would require you to put some pressure on yourself to make sure you meet it. It may be easier to use the lower figure, but is that going to help you achieve your overall investment goal?

Through looking for realism in your goals, you’re going to stretch your abilities - and test your willingness. At the same time, you’re also setting goals that you can accomplish. When you finish reading this article, pick one of your goals and examine it: is it truly realistic? By setting realistic goals using the SMART model, you’re giving yourself a chance to make change without the fear of failure.