Goal Setting That Works:
Replace SMART Goals With True Desire

Author: Alex Guru | Reading time: 6 minutes

A True Desire is an energetic impulse that rises from within you, carried by a feeling of anticipation. It is the fuel that powers your actions.
A SMART goal is a logical structure (Specific, Measurable, etc.) built by the mind for the sake of control. It is a road map.

The problem most people face is that they try to drive on a perfect map (SMART) with an empty tank (no True Desire). You write the plan, it looks logical and sound, but inside there is silence, heaviness, and self-sabotage.

In this article we will explore why goals fail to motivate, what separates a mechanical 'should' from an energetic 'want', and how to set goals that energise you naturally. You will see that SMART is an accountability tool, not a motivation tool. Consider this article a 'Critique of SMART'.

Why SMART Goals Fail:
Dopamine, Motivation, and the Brain’s Reward System

Why is classical time management and the critique of SMART goals becoming increasingly relevant? Because this system was designed to manage organisations, not living, breathing people.

Your brain is not a calculator. It is a biological machine that runs on hormones. For you to take action, you need dopamine — the hormone of anticipated reward.

1. A Mechanical Goal ('Should'):

You set a goal to 'learn 1,000 words by December'. It is perfectly logical. But if there is no genuine interest behind it, your brain treats it as a chore. It allocates no energy. You run on willpower, which drains fast. (We explored why willpower is unreliable for long-term goals in the article Why Willpower Doesn't Work and the 'Battery' Method).

2. A True Desire ('Want'):

You want to understand the lyrics of a song you love. It is not rational or systematic — but it creates Anticipation. Your brain releases energy. You learn the words effortlessly, in a state of flow.

In our system we call this the difference between 'Battery Desires' and 'Vampire Desires'. (Take the detailed 'Vampire Desires' Test in our dedicated guide to audit your own to-do list).

Research by Mark Murphy — one of the most prominent critics of SMART. His findings challenge everything we thought we knew about goal-setting.

A Leadership IQ study by Mark Murphy involving 4,000 people found:

People who set SMART goals achieved them less often than those who used emotionally charged goals.
Murphy proposed an alternative — HARD Goals (Heartfelt — goals that come from the heart). Without an emotional connection (Heartfelt), the brain treats a goal as 'someone else's task'.

SMART Goals vs Desire-Based Goal Setting:
The Best Framework to Choose

The modern alternative: PACT — a framework focused on actions, not outcomes.

Table: 'SMART vs PACT'

Parameter	📊 SMART (For Managers)	⚡ PACT (For Doers)
Stands for	Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound.	Purposeful, Actionable, Continuous, Trackable.
Focus	On a future outcome ('Lose 10 lbs').	On present action ('Cut out sugar today').
Response to setbacks	'I'm falling behind schedule' (Guilt).	'I did my minimum today' (Victory).
Fuel	Willpower (Finite).	Habit and Meaning (Renewable).
Best suited for	Writing progress reports.	Changing your life.

Battery vs Vampire Desires:
The Hidden Mental Traps Killing Your Drive

When you ask yourself: 'Why do I keep failing to reach my goals?', the answer usually lies not in laziness, but in the nature of the goal itself. (For a deeper look at what really hides behind the reluctance to act, read the article Procrastination Is Not Laziness — It's Your Brain's Defence Mechanism).

Vampire Desires (imposed goals) disguise themselves as your own. They sound like 'I should', 'it's the right thing to do', 'I ought to have achieved this by now'.

How they work:
They depend on external validation (other people's approval) and drain your inner energy as you fight your own resistance.
The symptom:
The moment you think about taking action, you feel a heaviness. You have to 'psych yourself up' just to begin.

Battery Desires (True goals) are self-sustaining.

How they work:
They generate their own energy. The process of moving towards them is pleasurable in itself.
The symptom:
You feel a quiet excitement, an impatience, an urge to start right now. You don't need discipline — you just need the time.

SMART Goals vs True Desire Examples:
Real Scenarios and What Changes

Example 1: The Gym

Mechanical goal (SMART):
'I want to lose 10 lbs in 2 months by going to the gym 3 times a week.' It sounds perfect. But inside, there's a sense of dread. It's self-imposed pressure to match a magazine ideal. This is a 'Vampire'.

True Desire:
'I want to feel light and strong in my body, the way I did as a kid.' You don't go to 'work out' — you go dancing or swimming because you genuinely enjoy the process. This is a 'Battery'.

Example 2: Career

Mechanical goal:
'Become a department head to earn more money.' The goal is specific and measurable. But it breeds stress and a fear of responsibility.

True Desire:
'I want to bring this exciting project to life, because I genuinely want to see if it works.' The money and the title arrive as a natural by-product of your enthusiasm.

The concept of 'Process Goals' explains why the goal 'Earn a million' (Outcome Goal) is less effective than 'Make 10 calls a day' (Process Goal).

Outcome Goal (SMART):
It lies outside your control (the market can crash, a client can walk away). It breeds anxiety.
Process Goal:
It lies within your control (I can write 500 words even if the market has crashed). It breeds confidence.

The core principle:
Apply SMART only to Processes, never to Outcomes.

The Anticipation Test:
How to Tell If a Goal Will Actually Motivate You

Stop forcing yourself through 'correct' plans. Before you set a single deadline, run an honest audit of your goals.

How to set true goals?

Use the 'Anticipation Test':

Imagine you have already begun working on this — focus on the process, not the end result.
Check in with your body. What do you feel?
- If it's heaviness, boredom, or a tightening sensation — it's a Vampire. Even if you hit the SMART target, it won't bring happiness, only exhaustion.
- If it's warmth, expansion, a gentle buzz, or genuine curiosity — it's a Battery.

If the energy simply isn't there — either change the goal, or search for a different angle within it that genuinely excites you. Don't try to drive on flat tyres.

The Tool:
The Emotional Response Index (ERI)

Practice: 'Emotional Indexing' — a simple but powerful rating scale.

Before committing to any goal, assign it a score from -10 to +10.

1. Imagine yourself working on this goal at 7 a.m. on a Saturday morning.

2. Rate your gut reaction:

From -10 to 0:
'Only if someone held a gun to my head.' (This is a Vampire goal. Delegate it or drop it entirely.)
From 0 to +5:
'I suppose I should.' (This runs on willpower alone — and you'll burn out within a month.)
From +6 to +10:
'That actually sounds exciting — I want to try it!' (This is a Battery goal. Only goals like these belong in your plan.)

'SMART goals require you to run on Willpower — which is an emergency generator, not a primary engine.'
'If a goal is perfectly SMART on paper but you keep putting it off — that's not laziness, it's your brain protecting you. See: Procrastination.'
'Your true goals (Batteries) align with your Life's Purpose, while SMART goals too often serve someone else's agenda.'

How to Start Today:
Turn a “Should” Goal Into a Real Want

Understanding your own energetic nature is the first step toward becoming the master of your plans — rather than their prisoner. You need to learn to clearly tell apart the voice of social conditioning ('I should') from the voice of your own life force ('I want').

A detailed guide on how to distinguish 'Batteries' from 'Vampires' — and stop spending your life chasing other people's goals — is available in the free Lesson: Battery Desires and Vampire Desires: How to Tell Your True 'I Want' from Someone Else's 'You Should'.

This is the foundation without which any planning is simply an exercise in frustration.

Go to the Lesson: Battery Desires and Vampire Desires

Goal Setting That Works:
Replace SMART Goals With True Desire