When setting goals, we are told to use SMART goals: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Timely. We are encouraged to define our goals with clearly defined constraints and requirements to achieve the goals (specific), using something that we can measure our progress against (measurable). While it's important to dream big, we should never set ourselves up to fail by shooting for the stars from word go when there are a lot of little steps that we need to take along the way (attainable and realistic), and we need to put time limits on those goals (timely).

While I strongly believe in the ethos behind using SMART goals, it's the R in SMART that I believe is a little troublesome.

Commonly, I'll see R as Realistic, but I think Relevant is a better word to use. We might set a goal based on a certain task, but does that task have a purpose that is in service to our long-term hopes and dreams? For example, building that active Twitter following probably won't be of any help to the writer whose target audience is filled with young readers.

Today, I want to talk about shifting our SMART goals into something that has a stronger relevance to not only our hopes and dreams, but with our subconscious motivations too.

The typical writer SMART goal

It is not uncommon for a writer to set a goal of finishing a manuscript. We are all writers after all, and if we're seeking publication, we actually need to finish a manuscript to become published.

We may have decided on the specific project, knowing that it needs to clock in at a particular measurable word count, and that project has our creative juices flowing. We might even have attainable benchmarks and timely deadlines that are more than reasonable—if we get our butts in the chair and actually write. But there is something in the way of forging the path forward. And we turn to procrastination.

Yeah, I think most writers have experienced this phenomenon at least once.

The problem was not with the idea of writing that manuscript, because trust me, if you have the motivation, it's more than possible. But that's the problem. For whatever reason, there's a disconnect between the goal and our internal motivation. It's a disconnect that exists on the subconscious level.

While we can make our goals SMART, the one aspect of the SMART equation that can be a little troublesome is whether goals are Relevant. (And I'm not using realistic, because realistic is another word for attainable.)

Upon first glance, we might think that a goal is relevant to our hopes and dreams, like writing that manuscript is to a writer who wishes to be published, but there will be some facet of that goal that might have sowed the seeds of doubt without us realizing it.

Understanding your internal motivation theme

There is a philosophy out there that suggests that our hopes and dreams need to be shifted into the concept of a theme. Our actions are motivated by whatever theme or internal motivation that we might have. And we can always bring that theme down to a singular word.

For example, a writer just starting out on their journey might recognize that they need to learn about the craft and the business. As such, they become the student in all aspects, learning whatever they can. For that new writer, finishing that manuscript isn't about writing a manuscript that can be published, but rather learning what it takes to finish that story and get it into a publishable state.

That new writer's theme is LEARN. So, they might sign up for a few writing classes. Or read a lot of books about the craft. Or they might connect with other writers and find the confidence to share their writing for the first time, obtaining feedback, so they can learn what it will take to elevate their writing to the next level.

Another writer might realize that the pursuit of finishing that manuscript has become all-consuming, and a disconnect had developed between their writer selves and their non-writer selves. They might adopt the theme of RECONNECT. As such, they might encourage the family to have a games night once a week, reconnecting with their family. Or they might just go for a walk in the forests, taking in the sights and sounds of the world around them, and reconnecting with their inner voice along the way.

It's odd how reconnecting does mean some disconnection needs to happen, but how a person takes on their theme is a personal journey.

For me personally, for the last several years, the word that has defined my actions was protect. I work hard to protect my children, ensuring that they know they have my support in whatever decisions they make in life—that I would be there to help them in whatever capacity I can… within reason. I had to learn how to protect my writing time, so I had the time that I needed to actually finish my manuscripts. At the same time, my desire to protect my writing buddies and closest friends dictated other actions and my openness with my knowledge. I check in on my writing buddies on a regular basis, making sure that they have the support they need to make it through.

The Writer in You project is a part of that protect ethos. I know how difficult it can be to find your writer self and to gain the confidence to own that writer title. In my mind, I'm protecting other writers by sharing my knowledge and experiences, helping writers to avoid the same mistakes that I've made.

And in recent times, in the wake of the pandemic and the stress that resulted on multiple levels, I've adopted the word health as my theme, adding it to my protect ethos and defining which aspects of my life will become the target of my protective nature.

It is in our internal motivation theme that SMART goals lose their relevance on a subconscious level. If that goal hasn't been worded in such a way that it appeals to our subconscious theme, then there will eventually be something that results in self-sabotage.

To truly satisfy the R in SMART, you need to understand your theme.

Identifying your theme

If we were really to look at our actions, there will be a single thread common in everything that we do, and that thread is your theme.

Take out a notebook (paper or digital, it doesn't matter), and make notes about everything that you do. Think about what it is about certain activities that attract you to them. For the tasks that bore you, think about why you do them anyway. Really take the time to think about what drives you forward in your actions.

Look at what you want to achieve in the future and see if you can identify a theme in those actions. Decide on a single word that will define that theme.

That word might be a word that you subconsciously use all the time to describe your actions. That's how I found my protect theme word. Every time I told others about why I do the things I do, that word protect would creep into my descriptions. And when I decided to add the layer of health to my theme, I noticed that my concerns and language seemed to be centered around the various aspects of health.

Being able to put a single word to your inner motivation allows you to create a connection between your subconscious and your conscious, eventually helping you to achieve your goals.

Rework any goals that you have to appeal to your theme

When setting your goals, or whenever you're trying to decide if you should do something or not, bring that question back to your word. Ask yourself whether that undecided action is in service of your theme. If it's not, then don't do it.

But let's go back to the finishing the manuscript goal that is common among writers.

If your theme is LEARN, then you might rephrase your goal as "learning how to manage your time so you can finish that manuscript." Or maybe the focus is about "learning how to write in first person." Or maybe it's all about "learning about the publication cycle."

If your theme is RECONNECT, then finishing that manuscript might really be about "reconnecting with a beloved character that you haven't written about in a long time." Or maybe you are working on your work/life balance, so you can "reconnect with your joy in writing."

For me, finishing that manuscript is about finding ways to "protect my writing time," while at the same time helping me process the world around me, helping me keep my mental health in check.

As long as you have connected that goal to your internal motivation theme in some way, you will improve your odds of making that goal relevant.

 

So, what is the word that defines your internal motivation theme?