Many of you may be aware of the fact that new years resoultions rarely last further than February. The reason why many of these resolutions are not achieved is because sometimes at the beginning of the year goals are very exciting to us!Soon after the excitement dissipates, one may lose sight of the goals they have made. Also one must be sure that the goals they are making are attainable and measurable goals instead of just idealistic visions. Write down your goals and make sure they are in a place you can see every day. For best chances of success, make check-ins with your goals- daily, weekly, or monthly. Whether your goals are focused on your health, career, relationships, or any other area of your life- make sure they are SMART!
SMART is an acronym!
S: Specific
M: Measurable
A: Attainable
R: Relevant
T: Time-bound
S=Specific. It is essential to make your goals very specific and be as detailed as possible. Try to indicate the who, what, when, where, and why of your goals. For example, if your goal is to lose weight, be specific how much weight you want to lose and how exactly are you going to lose that weight and for what purpose.
M=Measurable. Goals must be measurable. Quantifying your goals is necessary for tracking your progress. If your goals are actually measurable it is easier to know when you achieve your goals! For example, if your goal is to stay off of social media, a measurable goal would be to spend less than 30 minutes daily on social media.
A=Acheivable. In order to be able to reach your goals, you must be sure they must be achievable. If your goals are not actually achievable you may be setting yourself up for disappointment. For example, sometimes people set their weight loss goals too extreme. Losing 50 lbs in one year may not be an achievable goal because of physiology and metabolism adjustments. This does not mean to make your goals small but be sure that your goals will be possible to achieve!
R=Relevant. Be sure your goals are relevant and realistic to your life. For example, for the year 2021 and all of the unpredicted events, having a goal to travel more may not be relevant to your life at the moment. If your goals are relevant then you have more of a chance of getting closer to your longer term goals!
T=Time-bound. Does your goal have a deadline? It is critical to make your goals time-bound to avoid procrastination and pushing your goals aside. You can also have smaller deadlines within the goal to make sure you are making progress. If your goal for example is to complete a marathon, be sure that you know when that marathon will be and to set a time bound training schedule to have a better chance of success!
It is also important to ask yourself these questions when developing your New Years goals:
When making these goals ask yourself
What would you like to accomplish?
Who is involved in achieving this goal?
When do you want to achieve this goal?
Why do you want to achieve this goal?
I hope this helped you all plan out your new years goals and set you up for success! Please contact me for a FREE 15 minute consultation if you have health related goals this year!