12 OCTOBER 2025

The importance of SMART goal setting

Once youโ€™ve worked out what your personal fitness mission is, itโ€™s time to think about the steps you need to take to get there. Having a plan is the key to success; without it, our goals are merely dreams that have no real chance of coming true.There are a number of reasons why we fail to achieve our goals:

  • The goal is vague. Saying that you want to โ€œeat healthierโ€ is an admirable aspiration; however, there is no clear way in which to measure your progress.  What does โ€˜healthierโ€™ mean?
  • You donโ€™t have a clear plan for how to achieve your goals. So you want to become a runner. What is the first step you need to take? Who do you need to help you achieve this goal?
  • You donโ€™t set aside time specifically dedicated to achieving your goals each day. Weโ€™re all busy with work, family and social pressures that need to be attended to. By not specifically setting time aside to work on your goals, youโ€™re setting yourself up for failure.

Achieving goals takes time, commitment and a clear action plan. The principles of SMART goal setting are followed by high achievers who regularly crush their goals. You can set yourself up for success like a winner by following these same principles.

A SMART goal is:

Specific: have a clear idea of what you want to achieve. Instead of โ€œI want to start runningโ€, be explicit about what you want to achieve. If youโ€™re aim is to incorporate regular running in your life, a goal such as โ€œI want to finish the Medibank Melbourne Marathonโ€ will help you create the weekly training habits of a runner with a clear purpose in mind.

Measurable: have goals that are measurable so that you know when you achieve them.  Participating in a running event is a great option because you can clearly measure your success, either by simply completing the race or achieving a personal best time, depending on your goal.

Attainable: itโ€™s great to have stretch goals, but do yourself a favour and set small goals along the way that you can regularly achieve. Some great things happen when you hit a goal, no matter how small; you become confident in your ability to get things done and you create a belief that you CAN achieve a target when you work hard.

Relevant: the goal needs to be relevant to your broader purpose and values. Why do you want to achieve this goal? If your goal doesnโ€™t have meaning or isnโ€™t important enough to you, you will not dedicate the time and commitment required to achieve it.

Timely: setting a timeframe for achieving your goal focuses your energies and motivates you to achieve it. Without a timeframe, you wonโ€™t be truly accountable to achieving the end result.

Setting and achieving challenging goals is the key to personal growth. Create a catalyst for your success by following the SMART principles and youโ€™ll soon be on your way.

Make the Medibank Melbourne Marathon your next goal by registering here.

Editorial contribution by Rebecca Walker

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