Do you ever feel like you work hard but lack the confidence to get your point across?
Or do you struggle to build healthy relationships?
Or compare yourself with others?
If any of these sound familiar, then you may be lacking self-confidence throughout your life.
Having confidence in yourself is the belief that you can have faith in yourself to a level where you can trust yourself, including your judgments and decisions.
The good news?
Confidence is a skill that you can learn…with a little practice.
One way you can learn confidence is to write and set SMART goals around this skill.
So with that in mind, this article will review 9 SMART Goals that you can set to improve your confidence.
But first, let’s start with a simple definition.
What Are SMART Goals?
SMART goals can help you define and specify what you want by breaking your goal into five key components, which make the acronym SMART; Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound. And the best part about SMART goals is that they can help you set up your goals for everything in life, including developing confidence.
Let’s take a closer look at each component of a SMART goal:
Goals that follow the SMART goal method will help you organize and prioritize your goals to achieve them. To learn more about this concept, be sure to check out our ultimate guide about setting and achieving SMART goals.
Why Setting SMART Goals Are Important for Improving Confidence
It is common for people to set themselves up for failure by setting goals that are too vague, unrealistic, and unattainable.
Think of a goal such as “I want to be more confident.”
This goal lacks direction and is vague. In some cases, it is not even achievable because it is too broad, and there is no direction for accomplishing this goal.
Do you know what happens when you set such goals?
Over time, you tend to forget about them since there is no direction about what you want to accomplish and how and when; you are more likely to give up on your goal long before you even start working on it.
But when you set SMART goals, you don't end up with an undesirable outcome because your SMART goal is defined. It clearly explains what you want to accomplish and how and by when and when you have such clarity of thought, you are more likely to stay focused on your goal, which will eventually increase your likelihood of accomplishing what you want.
For instance, here is one SMART goal that can help you become more confident:
Your SMART goal is to improve eye contact with people because there is a clear association between being confident and having better eye contact.
When you break down confidence into a narrow and specific objective, you can keep it in mind whenever you interact with others.
Another reason why setting SMART goals for confidence is important is that it allows you to keep track of your accomplishments to celebrate and stay motivated to do more or better.
For example, when you make better eye contact with every person you meet on a certain day, your accomplishment will push you to do the same or better the following day. When you are motivated enough, you are likely to put in more effort to accomplish your goals.
SMART goals also provide a specific reason for achieving your goals. For instance, you want to improve eye contact because you want to improve your listening skills. A solid reason will keep you going in the direction of your objective.
Lastly, setting SMART goals allows you to eliminate wishful thinking because it requires you to set a timeline for what you want to accomplish.
For example, if you set a SMART goal for better eye contact, you also have to set up a timeline or a deadline such as ten, twenty or thirty days. When you set up a deadline, you can keep track of the most valuable resource you are investing in to accomplish your goal; your time.
Okay, now that you know why SMART goals can help improve your confidence, let’s review the nine specific example.
8 SMART Goal Examples for Building Confidence
1. Improve Eye Contact
I want to improve my eye contact with every person I meet to improve my credibility. I will do so by making longer eye contact (more than 5 seconds or longer) and break if needed to establish re-contact with at least five people I meet over the next 30 days.
Specific: Improve eye contact with at least five people. You may increase the number if the nature of the job requires you to meet more people.
Measurable: You can measure the progress of your goal by keeping a check on the number of seconds you held eye contact. All you have to do is to count to five, and you will know whether you have accomplished your target or not.
Attainable: The goal is realistic because many individuals with low confidence have previously accomplished this goal, and so can you.
Relevant: Improving eye contact is a critical aspect of building confidence.
Time-Bound: The timeline is defined as thirty days which is a month worth of practice.
2. Build on My Listening Skills
I want to be an open-minded and non-judgmental listener and will consciously practice good listening for the next thirty days with anyone I meet.
Specific: You intend to be a good listener who is open-minded and non-judgmental,
Measurable: You can count the people you meet every day,
Attainable: The goal is attainable for people have done it before you,
Relevant: Refining your listening skills is a critical element of being confident,
Time-Bound: You have set a deadline of thirty days which is enough time for you to develop new habits.
3. Refine My Posture
I want to improve my posture and look more confident when I talk to others while sitting or standing by being upright and from. I will consciously monitor and correct my posture every time I slouch over or lean back for the next 30 days.
Specific: Maintaining a good, upright posture.
Measurable: The progress can be measured by checking the number of times you slouched or leaned back during a conversation. You can also track the instances when you maintained a good posture.
Attainable: It is an attainable goal since you can work and improve your posture within a few days.
Relevant: The goal is relevant, so you look and speak more confidently.
Time-Bound: The timeline of the target is defined as 30 days
4. Limit the Use of Filler Words
I want to reduce the use of filler words in my speech like uhh, and umm to better communicate my point. I intend to limit the use of filler words to a maximum of three words for every conversation that I have had for the next thirty days.
Specific: The goal is to reduce the number of filler words in the conversation
Measurable: You can measure the progress by counting the number of filler words in every conversation.
Attainable: With ample time, and room for error, the goal is made attainable
Relevant: Since you want to sound more confident, the goal is relevant to you.
Time-Bound: The timeline for accomplishing this target is 30 days.
5. Rehearse Public Speaking
I want to rehearse public speaking to deliver my message more confidently. I will rehearse for all my meetings the night before in front of the mirror and reduce the flaws in my presentation to less than five on what I speak over the next six months.
Specific: The goal is to communicate more confidently.
Measurable: You can measure your progress by counting the number of flaws in your communication during the rehearsals.
Attainable: The goal is attainable within six months.
Relevant: Since you want to sound more confident when you are in conversations with others, the goal is relevant to you.
Time-Bound: The timeline for accomplishing this target is six months.
6. Speaking Up More Often
I am not confident, which is why I often do not speak up in public gatherings and office meetings. I intend to speak up and add value to all upcoming public gatherings and office meetings at least twice in the next 30 days.
Specific: The goal is specific as you will speak up at least twice in public gatherings and office meetings,
Measurable: You can measure the progress by counting the number of times you speak up during the meetings.
Attainable: The goal is attainable within the next thirty days.
Relevant: Since you want to feel more heard in groups, the goal is relevant to you.
Time-Bound: The timeline for accomplishing this target is 30 days.
7. Expand My Network
Given my lack of confidence, I find it hard to interact with people, so I want to expand my network. I will interact with at least two unfamiliar people at public gatherings and have a complete conversation with them for the next six months.
Specific: The goal is specific as you will interact with at least two new people in public gatherings,
Measurable: You can measure the progress by counting the number of individuals you interact with,
Attainable: The goal is attainable within the next six months.
Relevant: Since you want to feel more confident and expand your network, the goal is relevant to you.
Time-Bound: The timeline for accomplishing this target is six months.
8. Enhance My Time-Management Skills
I want to improve my time management to better prepare for the next working day. I will wake up at least one hour before I usually do to make a to-do list and prepare for the day for the next six months.
Specific:When you plan ahead for your day and manage your time well, it allows you to be more confident throughout the day,
Measurable: You can measure the goal by keeping track of the time you wake up and see how it works for you,
Attainable: The goal is attainable within the next six months.
Relevant: Since you want to control your day, the goal is relevant to you.
Time-Bound: The timeline for accomplishing this target is six months.
Final Thoughts on SMART Goals for Confidence
Setting SMART goals for confidence is critical as it allows you to narrow down an ambiguous desire and turn it into specific strategies you can use to feel more comfortable throughout your life.
To get the most from your goal setting efforts, get started by picking a few of the SMART goals for confidence examples that we provided in this article. Then challenge yourself to set specific milestones that you work at every day.
If you want to take immediate action, then I recommend checking out our ultimate guide to setting SMART goals and using the worksheets that we provide in this article.
And if you want more SMART goal ideas and examples, be sure to check out these blog posts:
- 5 SMART Goal Examples to Improve Your Positive Mental Health
- 8 SMART Goals Examples for Weight Loss
- 13 SMART Fitness Goals Examples That Will Motivate You
Finally, if you want to take your goal-setting efforts to the next level, check out this FREE printable worksheet and a step-by-step process that will help you set effective SMART goals.
