A Life Coach’s Approach to Setting Effective SMART Goals with Dean Page – Part 2
Updated: Sep 3, 2025
In this second part of the series on setting S.M.A.R.T. goals, certified life coach Dean Page delves into the importance of specificity and measurability in goal-setting. By providing practical examples and life coaching insights, this article helps you transform vague desires into concrete, achievable objectives, ensuring that your goals are clear and progress is measurable.
S.M.A.R.T. goals – specific
When your goals are as specific as the Pacific Ocean
The effervescent Zig Ziglar stated, “A goal properly set is halfway reached.” Perhaps the best way to understand what a goal through the “specific” filter looks like is by looking at some that aren’t. For instance, “losing weight,” “making a lot of money,” “having better relationships,” or “doing well in school or at work” all sound nice but are as vague as climbing into a space shuttle and telling the Houston Control Center, “I want to go somewhere in the universe.” You may want to designate a specific planet destination before the zero countdown begins. This example may seem ridiculous in this analogy, yet millions of people do that exact thing every day in their lives. Maybe not literally floating around in space with no destination, but floating in the vehicle called our life, hoping that we end up somewhere good.
My approach to assisting clients in setting their specific goals
Let’s look at those same goals previously mentioned, but with a life coaching lens to help them become more specific. For the goal of “losing weight,” clarity questions could be: What does that look like? How many pounds would you have to lose to look like the picture that is in your mind in a year? What is the specific clothes size that you want to obtain?
The same process goes for the vague goal of “making a lot of money.” “What is the dollar amount that you see when you think of making a lot of money?” “What are the specific dollar amounts for savings accounts, vacation funds, college expenses, debt reduction, and retirement?”
For doing well in school, what does that look like? Is it being invited to join a national honor society, maintaining a specific GPA, or being recognized on the Dean’s list?
In a similar vein, what does “having better relationships” look like? Does that mean that you enjoy each other’s company more? Is the goal to have less tension between you and your loved ones, or to rekindle the love that was once there but now seems faded?
In order to have effective “S.M.A.R.T.” goals, there needs to be specific details to enable the development of a working plan, rather than a hopeful wish.
Some basic life coaching questions that you could ask yourself are: What does your goal look like? When you think back on when you have successfully achieved a goal, what types of specifics did you use when setting it? If you were to describe your goal to a person on the phone, how would you describe it?
S.M.A.R.T. goals – Measurable
Playing football without first-down markers
Greg S. Reid explained that “A dream written down with a date becomes a goal. A goal broken down into steps becomes a plan. A plan backed by action makes your dreams come true.” Don Lancaster concluded that most “impossible” goals can be met simply by breaking them down into bite-sized chunks, writing them down, believing them, and then going full speed ahead as if they were routine.” It reminds me of the story of the person who set a goal to build a fort for each letter of the alphabet. They were only able to build the first six, but took solace in the fact that they made an “F” Fort. (You may have to read that out loud!)
Cross-country life trip
Selecting a method of measurement is crucial for long-term goals. Anyone who has taken a cross-country drive knows the importance of having mile markers along the way. If you are on a two-week trip, it is best if you know how far you need to go each day. This helps you to accurately determine if you need to drive further the next day to stay on your schedule. The last thing you want is to get to the destination only to find out that you need to leave several hours sooner than planned because you took too long to get there.
It is a fact of life that hindrances and delays happen. Ironically, as I was writing this, someone interrupted me to say something to me. There is also the picture of the person missing the turn for his exit and then deciding to drive faster on the highway to get there sooner. Of course, his actions only got him farther away until he turned around and took another route to get back on the correct roads. That is where working smarter, not harder, comes into play. Having measurable goals greatly helps that process.
Another point is the simple fact that there are going to be some days when you will not jump out of bed with the enthusiasm of a citizen of Whoville on Christmas morning to achieve your goals. Seeing a pattern of progression can often help jump-start you on those days when motivation is lacking. This also helps in avoiding the traps of vagueness, corrected in the Specific process of goal setting. Having solid measurement processes can help you get back on track. As I already mentioned, it’s better to adjust during the journey rather than at the destination.
Examples of life coaching questions include: What is a method of measurement that has worked well for you in the past? Are you a numbers person, a percentage person, a visual person, an audio person, or a kinetic person? How can you use that to set up a measuring system?
Some people see measurements as a reminder of their positive progress. Some people see measurements as a constant reminder that they are behind. Some see measurements as a way to determine if more or less effort is needed. How do you see measurements?
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 gain 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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