The secret to achieving your goals? Share them.

Do you have a habit of setting goals, getting super excited about them, and then just... casually letting them slip away until you forget about them completely?

...Sound familiar?

If you want to make sure you follow through, the answer is pretty simple.

Tell someone.

Seriously, it’s that easy.

Share a goal get a 70% success rate

In a study by the Dominican University of California, participants aged between 23-72 were assessed on their goal habits at work. These were people from all over the world, in a wide range of businesses and networking groups.

Get this—of the people who sent weekly updates to a friend, 70% of them succeeded in their goal-setting, compared to a 35% success rate in those who kept their goals to themselves.

The study also showed upswings in achievement among people who wrote their goals down and made commitments to specific action steps to help them get there.

So, the main takeaway here: if you’re going to set goals, at the very least share them with someone. And, if you really care about achieving those goals, make them SMART.

Set SMART goals people

Specific - Fairly self-explanatory, but basically this involves getting to the root of what you actually want. So, instead of a vague “eat healthier”- give yourself a number of recipes to try per week, set a goal of a daily morning smoothie, or a feeling you want to create for yourself instead.

Measurable - Define how you’ll know you’ve succeeded. Is it a simple yes or no? Or do you need a different way to qualify it?

However you choose to measure your success, make sure it reflects the way you’ve structured your goal.

Actionable - These are the steps you’ll take on the path to reach your goal. Consider if you have all the resources you need or equipment necessary.

If you end up with loads of action steps - it’s maybe worth breaking your goal down into smaller, more achievable goals. (Plus, when you smash each one, you’ll get a bonus hit of endorphins).

Relevant - It’s really common to have too many goals on the go at the same time, or to end up putting too much energy into the wrong goals.

Find out by comparing the amount of effort you’re going to need to put into your goal, versus how much value it’s going to bring you. Ideally - low effort, high value is the sweet spot for most goals

Time-Bound - By giving yourself a time-frame, you can make an action plan to complete each step so you know if you’re on track - or, if you need to re-plan a bit.

Being smart about your goal-setting is a good way to avoid trapping yourself in constant pursuit of perfection or ending up in procrastination hell.

But, it’s also worth a mention that goals are for life, not just for January - and making goal-setting a constant practice in your life is an awesome way to win big, and get shit done.

About the author:

Dan Murray