tant characteristics that no longer apply as an adult: Someone else
probably chose them, and there was an undue focus on measurement.
The first measurable goal experienced was toilet training—a
crappy topic that we will not dwell on. Success or failure was clearly
measurable, there probably were consequences for failure, and this
goal may have been imposed by an authority figure.
Then came school. The frequency and the precision with which
the school system attempts to measure our children are ludicrous.
Does anyone believe that the high school valedictorian with a 3.98
grade point average is better prepared for adult challenges than the
runner-up with a 3.96 average? As students we did not decide to at-
tend school for all those years or that we needed two years of a for-
eign language to get into college. If you received a job offer from
an employer who planned to measure your performance with the
frequency and precision used in the school system, you probably
would decline the offer.
Goals Are Not about Measurement Anymore
I (PL) worked with a client, Roberta, who was a talented graphic de-
signer. Before hiring me, she had been financially dependent on
her boyfriend, who had recently left her. I always ask new clients to
figure out the starting point for their income. She calculated an av-
erage of what she had earned over the past couple of months and
told me she was starting from a very low average of $14 per week.
Then we discussed her goal for income. She wanted $4,000 as a
weekly average. After a couple of weeks she told me, “You know
when you gave me that talk telling me that goals are not about mea-
surement anymore, I didn’t completely understand what you
meant. But now I’ve got it, my starting income was $14 per week.
Last week I earned a little over $1,000, and my goal is $4,000 per
week. So that means I am succeeding because I am moving toward
my goal.” As adults, goal getting is far more satisfying if you make
the process primarily about direction, not about measurement.
SETTINGSMART GOALS
When we set a goal to achieve a particular outcome, the goal must be
SMART. What is a SMART goal? A SMART goal is:
Specific
Measurable and Meaningful
As if now (present tense)Goals Are Not about Measurement Anymore 147