A - Attainable

Well, we are half way through the breakdown of SMART goals! Yay! So today we’re discussing the need for your goal to be attainable. The definition of the verb attain is, 1) to reach, achieve, accomplish, gain, or obtain; and 2) to come to or arrive at, especially after some labor or tedium. So for something to be attained, it also needs to be attainable. Attainable could also be described as feasible, obtainable, reachable, or possible. (On a side note, when using thesaurus.com, it also gives cherry pie and duck soup as synonyms of attainable. I’m not really sure why though...) 

Today I chose a much more enjoyable video, but also longer. It’s totally worth it though because it is an episode of Kim Possible! So take the time now to watch the episode of Kim Possible: A Very Possible Christmas and pay particular attention to Ron’s goal in the show and Dr. Drakken’s goal as well. (I also thought it fun considering the holidays are quickly approaching!)

Did you watch it? Great! So we’ll start with Ron’s goal in the show. He wants to give Kim the gift of family time by going to save the world from Dr. Drakken. Now, if you aren’t familiar with the show, Ron is basically the one who wreaks havoc, albeit innocently. He is basically Kim Possible’s sidekick. Funny enough about their names, if you don’t know the characters, Ron’s last name is Stoppable and the name suits him. The same goes for Kim Possible, who can do anything in the show. Great, so we have some basics. Well, considering Ron’s track record of getting in the way and causing more problems than were already present, would his goal of saving the world really be that attainable? No. Even though he’s in a TV show, Ron’s goal of doing Kim’s job is not an attainable goal. He does not have the skills to complete this job and ends up needing to be saved by Kim and her whole family. 

Let’s look at the second example. Dr. Drakken also has a goal in this show, and his goal is equally unattainable. Dr. D is attempting to take over the world. Now, this is a TV show where technically anything is possible, however Dr. D’s plans rarely work out because Kim usually finds a way to thwart his plan of world domination. So why does he keep attempting these unattainable goals? Looks like he needs some SMART goal training!

Now, all cheesiness aside, making your goal attainable is important. If your goal isn’t attainable you’re never going to reach it and therefore will only get discouraged. Making your goal to become president of the United States is pretty hefty when you’re a 20 year old still in college. Or making your goal to lose 30 pounds in a week; unhealthy and also unattainable. Choose goals that you can achieve, and maybe a long term goal could be president, but there are many many goals in between that should be focused on, like entering into the world of politics at a lower level. Having attainable goals will help your confidence and will help you to get things done, both of which will help you in other aspects of life. 

Happy goal-making!