A Coach and A Goal? What are you talking about?

When you think of the word coach, what comes to mind?  Most people conjure up images of football, baseball, basketball coaches roaming the sidelines and directing the action out of the field or court.  However, there is a vast majority of people that don't play sports that also need someone, like a personal or professional coach, to help guide them into making better choices for themselves.

Coaching is for the future betterment of ourselves.  While a coach may be there to support decisions that will help us grow as a person, they are not there to be a counselor or mental health specialist.  A coach is there to ask the questions you need to ask yourself and help you explore the answers so you can find that goal you want to accomplish.

But how does one figure out what goal to work on? For most, the goal has to be SMART: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Timely.  So what does this mean?

A goal should be specific.  If you can't express your goal in a sentence or two, you are attempting to work on too much and will a greater chance of failure.  Is it measurable?  Can you track the data from the beginning of the process to the end and find a specific amount of improvement?  It it attainable?  Some people wish to achieve outrageous goals but breaking them down in more appetizing, smaller goals may be the way to achieve your final outcome.

Reality has to be a major factor in determining a proper goal for yourself.  If you have two broken legs and you want to try and climb a mountain, you have to consider that you won't be climbing anything but a set of stairs for awhile.  Better think of something else.  Timely is also important to consider when you are thinking of a goal.  Is it a good time to work on this goal?  Will it help improve your life or would something else be better?

Having the ability to write all this information down and track the important milestones as they occur will help ensure that you are successful in working with your coach and achieving the measurable goals that you set out to work on.  It can also be a great way to show others that you are able to set your mind to a specific task and work through the issues until completion.  Hey, it's not bragging if it is true!