SMART Goals vs. Big Hairy Audacious Goals: Which is better?

As a coach or course creator, it's important to set goals for yourself and your business. But what kind of goals should you set? Should you go for the tried-and-true SMART goals, or should you set your sights higher with a big hairy audacious goal? Keep reading to find out!

If there’s one thing we know about goals, they have to be SMART, right? 

After all, that’s what we’ve been told for years. The only thing that matters is that your goals are specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timely. 

So while this may all seem nice and look good on paper, we know if you are here on my blog then you don't have small attainable goals, you have a BIG mission.

So, let's really think about it. 

Do you want to be stuck with “attainable” and “realistic” goals when what you really dream about is a 3-day workweek, frequent international travel, and enough money to fund a mission trip (or three). Seems pretty clear that those safe, smart goals aren’t going to get you there.

And even scarier is the fact that those goals may actually be holding you back from achieving your true potential. 

That's because setting an "attainable" goal of earning 10% more than you did last year likely won't inspire you to work harder, but will instead create a subconscious ceiling on your earning potential.

On the other hand, setting a big hairy audacious goal (a BHAG) like "I will earn $1 million in the next year" will not only inspire you to work harder, but will also help you attract the right people and resources into your life to make it happen.

Consider what happens when you set an “attainable” goal of earning 10% more than you did last year. You might network and increase your sales 10% more. You might even advertise a bit more and spend an additional 10% on ads Facebook ads or new solutions and product creation. You might even slide into 10% more potential clients in the DMs. 

And, in result of all of that, you’ll likely earn about 10% more. 

“Not bad!” you say. After all, that was your goal. 

But did that 10% goal inspire you to work harder? Or did it create a subconscious ceiling on your earning potential that you’re unable to break through?

Do you really think 10% was the most you are capable of? 

Did that goal of 10% growth inspire you each day to really dig in and work harder? 

What if all it did was create a subconscious ceiling on your potential and stalled major progress and impact you could have made? 

Rather than focusing on goals that are attainable and realistic, savvy entrepreneurs know that the key to incredible success lies in creating lofty goals that feel out of reach—maybe even UN-attainable. 

Again, if you are here on my blog we both know that you do not strive to earn 10% more than you did last year. I know you are aiming big and looking for 50% or even 100% more. You're ambitious and motivated and looking to stretch yourself in a healthy and balanced approach. You are ready to find new—and better—ways to do things, so you don’t have to work twice as hard.

But let's throw a disclaimer in here. Of course, you cannot simply declare crazy goals and expect the universe to hand them to you but that doesn't mean they aren't attainable if you are willing to put in the work and push yourself.

And that’s exactly why putting aside those smart goals is so…smart.

When you shun the attainable in favor of the “holy cow, this scares the crap out of me and I have NO idea how I will ever achieve it” goal, you push yourself beyond those self-imposed limits and reach for the moon.

What's that saying??? Reach for the moon, the worst that can happen is that you fall amongst the stars. 

In all reality, you might not double your income, but you’re almost guaranteed to do better than a mere 10% increase. So let's push your comfort zone, expand your boundaries. Let's set the big, audacious goals. Even if you fail, you’ll be much further ahead than those smart goals would leave you!

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