Crystal Clear GEMS: how i'm doing goals
eff SMART goals
Crystal Clear GEMS
Traditional goal-setting has never worked for me.
SMART goals, KPIs, all those best practices that created Intel and Google and probably OpenAI. I get the appeal — structure, accountability, progress — they’re scientifically backed! But it feels like wearing a suit. Looks great on others. My sleeves are too short.
What does work, at least for me lately, is something I’ve started calling Crystal Clear GEMS — goals you can clearly envision that are Growth-oriented, Exciting, and Months-long.
Crystal Clear - this is important. I agree with Arnold, you need to have a super clear picture of what success is going to look and feel like. If your mind can’t model that version of the future, you won’t be able to create it.
G - Growth. I’m a curious person. Always want to be learning; it’s so very intrinsically rewarding. I’m also self-competitive, and want to keep one-upping everything I’ve ever done.
E - Exciting. If it’s not exciting, why strive for it? Maybe it’s something I have to do it. Then it’s a task. It goes on a TODO list. Goals need to be exciting so I think about them all the time.
M - Months-long. I’ve found that anything less than a month is just a task. Anything much beyond a year is too far out to get really concrete and excited. My sweet spot is 2-6 months for an exciting goal I can drive toward and polish into something I’m proud of.
S - Stretch. I’m doubling down on growth. Why not? Grow more. Do it now!
When It Works for Me
I know I’ve found a meaningful goal when it feels like holding a crystal-clear gem up to the light. That’s super corny, sure. But I think it works? Crystal Clear GEMS catch my attention. I keep turning them over to explore all the facets. They make me feel alive. I wake up thinking about them. I shower with them.
They work as goals because I naturally obsess over them.
But when I miss? I can feel that too. It feels heavy. I try to force myself to care — which is the strongest sign I don’t. It feels like an obligation. There’s nothing worse in life than obligations.
Facets of Crystal Clear GEMS
A good GEM usually has a few things going for it:
I have to stretch to achieve it
It gives me energy instead of draining it
I have a clear vision AND I’m super curious about the journey
It connects to something that genuinely matters to me — not something I think I’m suppose to care about
That’s when I know I’m onto something real.
And sometimes I’m not. Sometimes I realize that I’m chasing someone else’s definition of progress. That’s fine. I can drop it and recalibrate.
(Note to self: remember to forgive… yourself. I’ve chased many unauthentic goals — handed to me by society, peers, idols, teammates… — and taken embarrassingly long to let go of them. It’s okay. I’m okay. You’re okay.)
Maybe this Lands for You
I don’t really like giving advice. I’m just describing something that’s working for me at the moment.
If any of this lands, maybe you can use it by asking yourself what kind of goal feels like a gem — one you can really envision, can’t stop thinking about, can’t stop reaching for.
And if it doesn’t land, that’s fine too. This is just me, figuring out what kind of goals actually make me come alive.