New Year’s Resolution Survival Guide
Overview:
We all have this mindset that as soon as the clock strikes midnight on December 31st, we are going to reinvent ourselves. We hear this every year - “My diet starts today”, “This is the year I quit smoking”, “It’s time to spend the whole day at the gym to work off all this food” “I must lose 10 pounds”.
As much as we would love for all of our goals to come to fruition, in order to do that we need to make sure they are (S)pecific, (M)easurable, (A)chievable, (R)ealistic & (T)imely.
SMART goals can really set you up for success and actually help you better attain all of your goals.
Instead of trying to reinvent yourself completely, focus on how you can make simple yet attainable goals so you can be the best version of yourself.
SMART Goals:
Specific = clearly defined, unambiguous
Measurable = specific criteria to measure your progress towards accomplishing your goal(s)
Achievable = attainable, possible to achieve
Realistic = having or showing a sensible & practical idea of what can be expected
Timely = clearly defined time line, start & end date to create a sense of urgency
Specific:
Goals that are specific have a much greater chance of being accomplished. In order to make your goal(s) specific, you need to consider the five “W’s”.
Who: Who is involved in this goal?
What: What do you want to accomplish?
When: When do I want to achieve my goal(s)?
Where: Where do I want to achieve my goal(s)?
Why: Why do I want to achieve this goal(s)?
Example: A general goal would be “I want to lose weight”. A more specific goal would be “I want to hire a personal trainer to come to my house 3x per week, to lose 10 pounds in 2 months time to live a healthier lifestyle for me and my family”.
Measurable:
You need to be able to determine your progress and if you are staying on track to reaching your goal(s). This helps you stay focused, allows you to meet your deadlines and lets you celebrate when you are getting closer to your goal(s). You want to make sure to ask yourself these three questions when planning:
How much/many?
How do I know if I reached my goal(s)?
How will I be measuring my progress?
Example: Let’s use the goal above “I want to hire a personal trainer to come to my house 3x per week, to lose 10 pounds in 2 months time to live a healthier lifestyle for me and my family”. Every week I will aim to lose at least 2 pounds of body fat.
Achievable:
Make sure that your goals are attainable. You want to challenge yourself, but not to the point where it is impossible to reach your goal(s). Ask yourself these two questions when thinking about your goal(s):
Do I have the resources to accomplish my goal(s)?
How attainable is it on a scale from 1-10 (10 being 100% realistic).
Example: Using our previous goal of hiring a personal trainer to come to your house 3x per week to lose 10 pounds in 2 months to live a healthier lifestyle for you and your family. Do you have all of the necessary resources in order to achieve this goal (i.e. finances, open space to train, a trainer, the time, motivation, etc). Then consider how attainable it is on a scale from 1-10.
Realistic:
Can your goal be realistically obtained? Make sure it is and you believe it is. Ask yourself:
Is/are my goal(s) within reach?
Am I able to commit my full being to achieving this?
Example: With our previous goal of “I want to hire a personal trainer to come to my house 3x per week, to lose 10 pounds in 2 months time to live a healthier lifestyle for me and my family”. Ask yourself how realistic this goal is and if you are committed 110%.
Timely:
Your goal(s) MUST have a start and end date. Creating a time-line gives you a sense of urgency and more motivation to achieve the goal(s). Ask yourself:
Do/does my goal(s) have a deadline?
When do I want to achieve my goal(s)?
Example: Building on the goal above, you can include - “Starting January 6th I want to hire a personal trainer to come to my house 3x per week, to lose 10 pounds by March 6th to live a healthier lifestyle for me and my family.”
Takeaway:
Making SMART goals will set you up for success. By doing this, you are creating clear, attainable, and meaningful goals. You are also developing motivation, and an action plan with all of the support needed to achieve your goal(s).
Start setting goals that will help change your lifestyle, you won’t regret it.
