Why SMART Goals Are Dumb (Sometimes): Embracing Ambiguity for Real Growth

by: Michael V. Pizzi

We’ve all heard it before: your goals need to be SMART—Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. Corporate workshops love it. Productivity gurus swear by it. And yes, the SMART framework can be helpful for project management, hitting sales targets, or preparing for a marathon.

But here’s the thing: not every goal worth pursuing fits into that tidy little acronym. Forcing all of your aspirations into the SMART mold can make them feel rigid, performative, and hollow. Life isn’t a corporate spreadsheet. You’re not a quarterly report. Sometimes, goals need to be fuzzy, intuitive, and evolving, less about metrics and more about meaning. The issue with SMART goals isn’t that they’re inherently bad; it’s that they’ve become dogma. The moment a goal doesn’t tick every SMART box, people assume it’s flawed. But in reality, some of the most meaningful personal and professional transformations happen through ambiguous, non-linear intentions.

1. They prioritize completion over intention.
You might “achieve” the goal but not grow in the way you wanted.

2. They limit creativity.
Some of the best ideas and breakthroughs come from open-ended exploration, not deadline-driven checklists.

3. They often encourage short-term thinking.
Being time-bound can be helpful, but not if it rushes a process that needs patience—like healing, personal reinvention, or creative mastery.

4. They can feel performative.
When your goal becomes a line item to prove productivity, it’s easy to lose sight of why it mattered in the first place.

Not all goals are meant to be measured. Some are intended to guide you, shift your mindset, or gradually reshape your habits. Think of these goals as compasses rather than finish lines; you may never “complete” them, but they can change your direction entirely. Consider these examples:

Instead of: “Write 500 words a day for the next 30 days.”
Try: “Become someone who writes regularly.”
This goal focuses on identity and rhythm rather than hitting a daily number. Some days, you might write 1,000 words. Others, zero. But you’re still a writer.

Instead of: “Lose 10 pounds by August 1.”
Try: “Make choices that honor my body.”
This approach shifts focus from weight to well-being. It prioritizes daily decisions over arbitrary deadlines.

Instead of: “Read 20 books this year.”
Try: “Create more space for quiet and reflection.”
That could mean reading. It may mean journaling or going for a walk without your phone. The outcome is flexible, but the intention is powerful.

Instead of: “Have 1 million followers in 12 months.”
Try: “Build a community by showing up authentically.”
Metrics fluctuate, but people remember how you made them feel. Growth rooted in authenticity has more staying power.

Behavior-driven goals are sustainable. They focus on who you’re becoming rather than what you’re checking off. They leave room for life’s unpredictability and are often better at building intrinsic motivation. And maybe that’s the ultimate point: Not everything worth doing can be measured. Sometimes, the most transformative goals start with a murky sense of “something needs to change” or “I want more of this feeling in my life.” That’s enough. You don’t need to turn every instinct into a metric.

So the next time someone tells you your goals aren’t SMART, smile and say, “Good. They’re not supposed to be.”

They’re meaningful.
They’re human.
They’re yours.