happy new year!

A new year brings about new goals and resolutions. Everything begins with the best intentions, but often times we set unrealistic goals that end up leaving us feeling deflated or down on ourselves for not achieving what we “should” be able to do or were able to do in the past. I hope this post will help guide you to have the most successful year yet!

A common method for goal setting is to set SMART goals. You may have heard this acronym before and possibly with different verbiage for the letters, but the main idea stays constant. Here is the acronym that I’ve found most helpful:

SMART GOALS

S = Specific

M = Measurable

A = Achievable

R = Relevant

T = Timely

A SPECIFIC goal would be identifying the aspects of your health to focus (i.e., diet and sleep). The more specific your goal, the more likely you are to achieve it. The difference is simply saying, I’m going to get healthy in the new year vs. developing a plan of what steps you are going to take to improve your health.

A MEASURABLE goal is important to give yourself something to work towards that motivates you to make it to the finish line. For example, “I am going to start going to the gym” is not a measurable goal until you add, “I’m going to go to the gym 3 times per week for one hour each time.”

An ACHIEVABLE goal gives you the opportunity to feel a sense of accomplishment and pride when you reach that goal. Using our gym example, committing to working out 5-6 days per week may not be feasible especially if you have not been keeping a consistent workout schedule. 2-3 days per week in the beginning is going to set you up for success.

We can make goals RELEVANT by ensuring the goal is meaningful and important to you. It makes sense that you are going to be more successful if you are working towards something that you care about and will help move you forward towards larger goals.

Lastly, a TIMELY goal is something that has a deadline in mind. Giving yourself a target helps you to stick with your goal and gives you a timeframe to complete it. If you decide to lose 30 pounds in 6 months, then you can monitor to see if you are on track around month 3 if you are 15 pounds down.

set your goals

Create one personal, one professional, one social and one altruistic goal for the year. Try to find a balance in life, knowing that you don’t have to focus on all goals at once.