Set Bulletproof Goals

This article was originally posted on The Better Way

January has all that familiar energy.

Gyms start to fill, planners get bought, people post “this is my year” content, and we all quietly negotiate who we’re going to be when January hits.

I’m really not cynical about that. I actually love it.
A new year is a built-in reset point: a chance to reflect, refocus, and choose a different direction.

I’ll even toss in a couple of my own recent “checked off” goals in this piece. I’m very much in this with you. I set targets. I miss some. I hit some. I keep going.

But we have to be honest: most resolutions don’t last.

Not only do they fade out, but the fallout is worse than just “oh well.”
When you break enough promises to yourself, you don’t just fail at the goal. You slowly stop trusting you.

Studies show that around 43% of people give up on their resolutions by February, and only about 9% see them through to success by year’s end. That means the vast majority start the year hopeful and end it feeling stuck, disappointed, and less confident than before.

There are a lot of reasons for this, but one big one is simple:
Our goals lack clarity, connection, and a meaningful framework to sustain them.

If you’ve ever set a goal and watched it silently die by week three, it might be a discipline issue. But it might also be that the structure you used to set that goal was never built to help you win.

(For most of us, it’s probably both.)

So this year, as we kick-off 2026, let’s do it the better way ; )

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Why SMARTEST?

You’ve probably heard of SMART goals:
Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound.

SMART is helpful, but I started to feel the gaps in it years ago.
I realized I could set SMART goals, hit them, and still feel misaligned. I could “win” on paper and still not like who I was becoming in the process.

So I started experimenting.
I kept the useful bones of SMART, and added what I felt was missing: depth, meaning, flexibility, and transformation.

That’s how I landed on SMARTEST.

It’s built on the original framework, but it adds the pieces needed to make goals human, not just efficient.

Research from the American Psychological Association shows that people who set specific, actionable goals are about ten times more likely to achieve them than people who don’t. Structure helps. But structure alone is not enough.

Because here’s the thing:

You can set goals.
You can achieve those goals.
And still end up more hollow, more burnt out, and more lost than when you started.

That happens when goals are driven by:

• The wrong motives
• External pressure
• A desire to impress, not align

We need a frame that keeps our goals tied to who we are becoming.

Your goals should be inspired by a clear vision of your highest self.
And the path toward those goals should actually shape you into that person.

That’s what SMARTEST is for.

It helps you:

• Align efforts with your values
• Adapt when life punches you in the mouth
• Stay connected to the process, not just the outcome

When you use SMARTEST, you’re not just stacking achievements.
You’re building a life that feels honest, grounded, and deeply fulfilling.

The Importance of Quantitative and Qualitative

A SMARTEST goal always has both:

• Quantitative pieces = numbers, metrics, deadlines
• Qualitative pieces = meaning, values, internal shift

Quantitative components answer:

• What are you doing?
• How much / how far / by when?

Qualitative components answer:

• Why does this matter?
• Who will I be as I do this?

When you combine both, your goal becomes:

• Clear enough to pursue
• Deep enough to sustain
• Grounded enough to actually change you

So what does SMARTEST actually stand for?

The SMARTEST Goals Framework

S – Specific (Quantitative)

Define the goal clearly and include a timeframe.

Vague intention:

“I want to run more.”

Specific goal:

“I will run a half marathon in the next six months.”

Specificity gives you direction and removes wiggle room.

Prompts:

• Can I explain this goal in one clear sentence?
• Does it have a clear date or deadline attached?

M – Meaningful (Qualitative)

This is the soul of the goal.
Why does it matter to you?

Not your friends.
Not Instagram.
Not your boss.

You.

Meaningful goals become anchors when things get hard.

Prompts:

• Why does this goal matter to me personally?
• How will my life be better or more aligned if I achieve it?

A – Adaptive (Qualitative)

Life is unpredictable. Sickness, schedule changes, injuries, kids, job shifts.

If your goal can’t flex, it will break.

Adaptive goals build in the mindset that:

• The process may change
• Your character in the process does not

For example:
If you’re training for a half marathon and get injured, you might:

• Shift to biking or swimming
• Change the race date
• Keep your weekly “training” block, but adjust what fills it

You hold the identity of the goal even if the expression shifts.

Prompts:

• When something goes wrong, how will I adapt without quitting?
• What is a meaningful Plan B that still honors the spirit of the goal?

R – Relevant (Qualitative)

Your goal has to make sense for your real life.

Goals should stretch you.
But if they live in a totally different universe than your current reality, you will constantly feel dissonance.

Becoming an astronaut might be “cool.”
But does it fit your season, your responsibilities, your current trajectory?

Relevance keeps your goals rooted in your actual priorities and calling.

Prompts:

• Does this goal align with what matters most to me right now?
• How does this goal fit into my current life and long-term vision?

T – Trackable (Quantitative)

If you can’t track it, you can’t trust it.

You need:

• Clear milestones
• Visible progress
• A defined finish line

That might be:

• A race date
• A number on a barbell
• A savings amount
• A streak you’re building

Prompts:

• How will I measure progress week by week?
• What does “done” actually look like?

E – Exciting (Qualitative)

Your goal should have a pulse.
It should stir something in you.

Excitement doesn’t mean it’s always fun. It means that:

• The process feels meaningful
• The person you become on the other side is worth the effort

Maybe you’re excited about:

• Training with friends
• Proving something to yourself
• Crossing a finish line you never thought possible

Prompts:

• What specifically about this goal sparks energy for me?
• In what ways does becoming the person who hits this goal excite or inspire me?

S – Sustainable (Qualitative & Quantitative)

Can you keep this up?

Not for three weeks.
For months. Maybe years.

This is where you avoid:

• All-or-nothing extremism
• Burnout disguised as “grind”

Sustainable goals live in the tension between:

• Challenging
• Actually doable long-term

Prompts:

• Are the habits I’m building realistic for my real life?
• How can I pace this so I’m still standing in six months?

T – Transformative (Qualitative)

This is the deeper “why behind the why.”

The best goals don’t just:

• Make you faster
• Make you stronger
• Make you richer

They make you:

• More disciplined
• More honest
• More dependable
• More you

Prompts:

• How will this goal change me as a person?
• What inner qualities (courage, patience, resilience) will it help develop?

Example SMARTEST Goal

Run a Half Marathon by June 1st

• Specific:
  I will run a half marathon by June 1st.
• Meaningful:
  Running helps my mental health, gives structure to my training, and reinforces the identity of being someone who does hard things on purpose.
• Adaptive:
  If I get injured or a major life event happens, I will shift my focus to a different endurance event (bike/swim) or move the race date, while keeping my weekly “training” rhythm.
• Relevant:
  This goal aligns with my desire to be healthy, push my limits, and stay capable for the life I want to lead. It fits my current season and responsibilities.
• Trackable:
  I will log weekly runs, follow a specific plan, and test my progress every six weeks with a 60-minute benchmark run to see pace improvements.
• Exciting:
  I’m energized by training with friends, race day environments, and the idea of becoming the kind of person who finishes a half marathon with integrity.
• Sustainable:
  I’ll follow a gradual training progression that increases mileage slowly, allows rest days, and fits roughly within my existing weekly training hours.
• Transformative:
  I will use this process to build self-trust by doing what I say I will do. That trust will carry into other areas of my life—family, work, and faith.

As You Step Into 2026

I don’t believe most people fail at their goals because they’re weak.

I think many people:

• Don’t have a framework
• Don’t have support
• Don’t believe, deep down, that they’re truly worthy of the life they want

So let me say this clearly as we move from 2025 into 2026:

You are worth the effort.
You are worth the structure.
You are worth the slow, sometimes boring, deeply unsexy process of becoming who you were meant to be.

Your life does not have to look the way it does right now.
It can look more aligned, more honest, more alive.

Use the SMARTEST framework this year.
Not as another rigid system to beat yourself up with,
but as a clear, simple way to aim your effort at what actually matters.

Set goals that are:

• Specific and trackable
• Meaningful and exciting
• Adaptive, relevant, sustainable
• And ultimately, transformative

And then go live them.

Happy 2026.

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