Sea Turtle Triumph

Image by Kanenori from Pixabay

Sir David Attenborough has a way of making the simplest goals

in the animal kingdom sound like the journey of Odysseus.

“The sea turtles erupt from the sand and gaze towards the coast. The
water is the paradise they must reach, in order to begin their sea
turtle existence. But, alas, to traverse the sands before them, they
must conquer a path fraught with danger. Crabs. Raptors. Gulls. Snakes.
In other words, death. This Herculean task is one on which they embark
with nothing more than instinct – and luck – on their side.”

Whoa. If reincarnation is real, I do NOT want to come back as a sea turtle.

You are certainly not a sea turtle. Meaning, if there’s something you want to achieve in life, chances are you’ll need more than instinct in orderto be successful. You, as a human, will need a concrete goal and a plan to reach that goal.

And, if you’ve been to any sort of productivity or behavior change workshop over the past thirty years, you’ve probably heard about SMART goals.

What are SMART Goals?

Each letter represent a different parameter of your goal. The actual words can vary, as the model has evolved over the years.

– S: Specific. Not fuzzy, foggy or vague. “I want to lose enough weight to make my husband’s ex-wife (who I’m seeing at my step-son’s wedding) jealous.”
– M: Measurable. Not subjective. “Enough weight to really aggravate her.”
– A: Action-oriented or Attainable. Don’t set yourself up for failure. “Like thirty pounds.”
– R: Realistic or Relevant. “By walking every day.”
– T: Time Bound. “For the next two weeks.”

Obviously, that goal needs some work.

Do SMART Goals work?

Well, they can. They help you define what it is you want to achieve. And they help you drill down to what you want to do, where you want to go.

Okay, so what’s the problem?

The problem is that the SMART model doesn’t really tell you how to achieve your goal. It doesn’t give you a well-defined plan. You might have a precise goal, but no roadmap on how to get there.

“Lifting weight three times per week for thirty minutes per session” doesn’t help you plot out how you’re exactly going to manage all the things that get in your way and keep you from ever being in the same room as a set of twenty pound dumbbells.

And, since you’re not a sea turtle, you can’t just run across the sand and hope you find your way to a Planet Fitness or YMCA.

Hmmm. So how do I move forward in life? Without spinning my wheels. Or getting eaten by a killer gull.

Good question. They way those sea turtles use instinct to lead them, you need some guidance. A roadmap, a plan, and a mentor who will direct you, as you define your goals and set your compass to reach them.

The next “Envisioning Possibilities” workshop is right around the corner and, for humans, is much better than sea turtle instinct.

This Saturday’s class can help you define goals and roadmaps for the changes you want to make in life.

– Do you need to set yourself up for a more secure financial future?
– Are you ready to go for that next rung on your professional ladder?
– Maybe you want to improve your relationships and social support system.
– Is it time to take control of your health and wellness?

There’s no time like now. And, like a newly hatched sea turtle, deep down you know it. And you’re ready to start.

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