DUMB Goals: The Strategy That Will Uplift Your Life Right Now

1. Achievable: SMART goals only have one purpose — achieving the goal. So you should assess its achievability before you even start.
2. Relevant: if it doesn’t change your life, it doesn’t matter. The only way you will reach your goal is when it matters. It must give you some improvement.
3. Time-bound: limit your goal’s length in mandatory boundaries. You can’t work towards a goal all your life. You haven’t split it into specific and achievable steps yet if it happens.

Now, take this SMART summary and throw it out of the window. DUMB goals are the exact opposite. Or, at least, they try to be.

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DUMB goals don’t care about specificity, measurability, and time boundaries. Their only goal is to make you set inspirational and emotionally engaging goals. Also, they should be more intuitive and creative than traditional SMART goals.

So, what does DUMB stay for?

• D = Dream-given
• U = Uplifting
• M = Method-friendly
• B = Behavior-triggered

Let’s analyze each step.

Goals should always start with a big, inspiring dream that stretches your capabilities.

You are allowed to dream with DUMB goals. And your dream could become true if you take actionable steps towards it.

Without a dream, you won’t always have the motivation to do what’s necessary. So dream big! Find a purpose . And you will never lack motivation.

Also, you don’t need to know the exact steps that bring you to your dream now. Focus on defining the first steps. And you’ll be good to go.

Ensure your goal uplifts your energy and motivation.

Most of my SMART goals drained all my energy daily. So, I abandoned them soon. But with DUMB goals, it’s different.

Find a way to make the goal fill you with energy. It has to give you a daily or weekly pump of motivation and excitement. Or it won’t work.

I write The Challenge weekly for the instant gratification each new subscriber and interaction gives me, for example.

Living thanks to The Challenge is my dream. But without those daily motivators, I don’t know if I would have kept doing it.

The goal should align with a method that makes it achievable.

Look, I told you DUMB goals reject everything about SMART goals. And for most things, it’s true. But they have a touchpoint — this one.

You can’t set a goal and never adopt any method or strategy to achieve it. But while SMART goals give it to you, DUMB goals only say you should have one.

It doesn’t matter which strategy you use. You can even use the SMART strategy if you wish. But you must have one. Otherwise, you will never advance towards your goal.

And all the motivation you build is useless if you procrastinate — a waste of time.

Associate the goal with specific behaviors or habits.

SMART goals have always had two weaknesses:

• they should have another M for motivation
• and another B or H for behavior/habits.

Unluckily, SMMARTB is not a word. So, we stick with this incomplete strategy. But DUMB goals took those two weaknesses and transformed them into their strengths.

That’s what I call competition!

You build a link to behavior and habits with the last point of DUMB goals. A link that strengthens your goal. It makes it a consequence or preparatory step for a habit you already built.

DUMB goals bring you many benefits compared to their SMART counterpart.

• Inspiration and motivation: SMART goals miss a way to motivate you. Sometimes, you will abandon your goals because of that.
• Flexibility and creativity: unlike SMART goals, DUMB goals allow a flexible and creative approach. And this adaptability can lead to innovative solutions and new pathways to success.
• Long-term vision: with DUMB goals, you can have a long-term vision.
• Behavioral and habit focus: the habits and behavior link make DUMB goals easier to maintain. Your goal requires less willpower once you build a habit.

This is a million-dollar question. And, as with many other million-dollar questions, the answer is “it depends”.

• DUMB goals are ideal if you focus on long-term visions and struggle with motivation. They promote flexibility, creativity, and habit-building. So, go for them if you are an ambitious person.
• SMART goals are ideal if you focus on clear and practical targets. They offer a structured approach that focuses on short-term achievements. So, go for them if you need a well-detailed plan.

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