Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 1) — New year means new opportunities and new achievements, but how will people make sure that they will be able to achieve it? A psychologist says it is all about setting the right goals.
Speaking to CNN Philippines’ The Source, psychologist Richthofen de Jesus said Filipinos tend to set very vague goals. To address this, one should keep in mind the acronym SMART, which means specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound.
As an example, De Jesus said many people say they want to lose weight, but the question is by how much?
“Being specific allows you to really commit to what you need to do and how you will be doing it,” he explained.
De Jesus also said that making goals measurable means people setting checkpoints to make sure they are still on their way to achieving what they want to achieve. It’s like setting something in January then asking yourself if you are still following the end goal in February, he noted.
When it comes to making goals attainable, De Jesus said this means determining targets that are realistic. It is like eyeing the next possible company position a person is in now rather than jumping to the post of president.
On relevance, the expert said this means aligning the support to achieve the goal. Considering the first example, De Jesus said one can’t say he wants to lose weight if he does not cut down on what he eats.
