A Life Coach’s Approach to Setting Effective SMART Goals with Dean Page – Part 1
Updated: Aug 7, 2025
Setting goals isn’t just a motivational trend, it’s a powerful way to create direction and purpose in your life. Without clear goals, it’s easy to drift instead of actively pursuing what matters most. This article explores why goals succeed or fail, and how combining life coaching principles with the SMART framework can help you achieve meaningful change.
"If you don't know where you are going, you might end up someplace else." – Yogi Berra.
Goals, goals, goals, goals, and more goals!
Even in the title of the heading, you can imagine hearing the exuberance of a soccer announcer's voice as he shouts "Goooooooooooooooal!" The crowd erupts in cheers and applause. Team members rush to congratulate one another and to bask in the moment of accomplishment. Videos are replayed literally all over the world of the last few seconds of set up, action, and the scoring of the winning game-ending goal. Although that is most certainly important, the fact is that there was a lot of game time played before that ending, the winning goal. There were hours and hours of practice, workouts, drills, and repetition. There was game planning and both major and minor adjustments. Much like in the game of football, in which fifty-six minutes of game time play before the final 2 minutes of each of the halves. So, what does that mean to us?
Why will setting goals make a difference in my life?
We hear so much about setting goals and the importance of setting goals. What's the big deal about setting goals? Are they all that important? Will they really have that big of an impact on my life? The answer is often "yes," but in reality, the more accurate answer is "it depends". Setting goals in and of itself is an important first step, but it is meaningless unless there is a specific plan to follow through. You can plot several destinations in your vehicle's GPS, but never arrive there if you don't get in your car and start driving. Seneca eloquently said of goals that "Our plans miscarry because they have no aim. When a man does not know what harbor he is making for, no wind is the right wind." Yogi Berra said it more succinctly, "If you don't know where you are going, you might end up someplace else." I would add that you will end up somewhere else. The motivational expert Jim Rohn expands on this scenario by explaining that "If you don't design your own life plan, chances are you'll fall into someone else's plan. And guess what they have planned for you? Not much."
Why does my goal setting fail?
If goal setting certainly has the potential of greatly impacting our lives, then why is it that so many people hesitate to set them? Even more to the point, why do so many millions of people set goals, usually on January 1, only to have them two weeks later collecting dust until once again they are picked up off the shelf on the next, you got it, January 1? It reminds me of the person who said that their New Year resolved to finish their last year's resolution of losing 10 lbs., and they only had 25 lbs. to go!
In this series, I will address some of the difficulties and obstacles that hinder goal setting by taking a life coaching approach to the topic. I will talk about setting SMART goals, but instead of just focusing on your "to-do list", I am going to help you develop your "to why list" as well. Using life coaching questions, I can help you to better design those goals so that they are accomplished throughout the upcoming days, weeks, months, and even years. We are going to use the SMART goals blueprint, which is very popular. SMART is an acronym for "Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Trackable." This blueprint can be an incredibly helpful tool in taking purposeful steps to accomplish our dreams. It can also be a frustrating experience if we don't adjust to our personal obstacles. In that case, it ends up being more like "Started to, Meant to, Avoided, Regretted, and Try again next year!"
The difference between dumb goals and smart goals
Whenever I ask about the importance of setting SMART goals, I can imagine someone saying that it is better than setting DUMB goals. Funny, perhaps, and yet people set dumb goals all the time. What is my definition of a dumb goal? A dumb goal is one that sets you up for failure rather than success. The SMART goals template is a tool that can help you set up for success.
Call to action!
If you would like help in setting your SMART goals or have a specific category that you are struggling with, please set up an appointment with me through Deanpagelifecoach.com. I would love the opportunity to work with you!
I help clients get perspective, reach their goals, and change their world. Maybe you could be next! This is Dean Page your Certified Life Coach.
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