RIGHT Goal Test
Vet a goal for relevance, indicators, gravity, humanity, and timing
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Time to result
- ~days to results
- Steps
- 5
- Confidence
- 99%
The RIGHT Goal Test replaces casual goal selection with five affirmative tests. Relevance asks why the goal personally matters. Indicators define the concrete returns that would justify pursuing it, such as credibility, income, or recognition. Gravity examines the emotional weight, grit, and self-trust created by achievement. Humanity asks how the result affects people, places, or the wider world. Time checks both whether now is the right moment and whether the available completion window is realistic. Writing evidence for each answer exposes weak motives and timing conflicts before action begins. A goal that passes all five creates stronger alignment among mind, body, and soul, reducing second-guessing and supporting commitment when the pursuit becomes difficult.
Origin
Jeff Spencer described RIGHT as the goal-vetting method he uses with clients inside the Champion's Blueprint.
Core principles
- 01The right goal matters more than a conventionally well-written goal
- 02Evidence builds commitment to a goal
- 03Human impact helps sustain effort through difficulty
- 04Timing and available time are part of goal quality
How to run it
- 1
Test relevance
Write why the goal is relevant to you at this point in your life. Build a body of evidence rather than relying on a vague attraction.
Pro tip Look for reasons strong enough to create personal insistence on completion.
Watch out A goal can be SMART and still be irrelevant to you.
- 2
Define indicators
Name the returns that would prove the goal is worth pursuing. Include the specific credibility, income, recognition, or other outcomes you need.
Pro tip Choose indicators you can hold yourself accountable for.
Watch out Do not leave the payoff as an undefined promise of a better future.
- 3
Measure gravity
Describe what achieving the goal would mean emotionally and what it would teach you about yourself. Check whether that meaning supplies grit for hard phases.
Pro tip Ask what you will be able to say and trust about yourself afterward.
Watch out Status alone may not create enough gravity to sustain the work.
- 4
Establish humanity
State how the completed goal will affect people, places, or things beyond your immediate reward. Make the contribution concrete enough to reinforce commitment.
Pro tip Connect the result to a real beneficiary.
Watch out Do not manufacture a grand social claim that the goal does not support.
- 5
Check time
Decide whether this is the right moment, whether you can give the pursuit enough time, and whether the expected duration suits you. Defer or reject the goal if those answers are negative.
Pro tip Separate wanting the goal from being ready for it now.
Watch out Commitment cannot repair a fundamental timing mismatch.
In the wild
A founder considers targeting a first £10,000 month. She documents why it matters now, defines profit and customer-retention indicators, identifies the confidence it would build, links the offer to a real customer benefit, and confirms that she has a six-month runway. The test reveals that revenue alone is too vague, so she rewrites the goal around profitable retained customers.
→ The founder adopts a more relevant, measurable, and sustainable goal.
Common mistakes
Treating SMART as sufficient
A goal may be specific and measurable while still lacking personal relevance, human value, or suitable timing.
Answering without evidence
Quick affirmative answers preserve wishful thinking instead of creating the conviction the test is designed to produce.
Is it for you?
Best for
It is best for anyone choosing between major goals or testing commitment before a demanding pursuit.
Not ideal for
It is not ideal for routine tasks whose value and timing are already fixed.
From the transcript
“The R right stands for relevant. You know, you really need to take the time to ask yourself, is this goal really relevant to me?”
“Stands for gravity. I mean, what is the emotional gravity and grit that the achievement of this goal avails you of?”
“And then the T and right, is time, is this the right time to be pursuing the goal? Yes or no.”
From the episode
Dr. Jeff Spencer: Ultimate Goal Setting for Entrepreneurs
Dr. Jeff Spencer