New Years Resolutions

Every January brings hope. The new year means a new beginning, and most people make a lot of plans to make changes. Whether it be to lose weight, be organized, volunteer, work harder, etc they often seem to lose motivation after a few months or so. I think this is mostly do to the fact that people are making wishes instead of goals. There is a method to making goals that are easy to achieve. This goals are called SMART goals. There are various of what this anagram stands for but I think this one is the most simple and clear.

Specific

If your goal is vague it will be difficult to achieve it. You need to be able to break your goal into smaller steps. You need to be able to include details like dates, resources, dollar amounts, etc that you need to accomplish your goal. Your goal should answer the following "which,what, where, who, when, why?". 

Measurable or Motivation

Your goal should be measurable by a date, time, dollar amount.  Having it be measurable also makes it easier to track your progress. By keeping measurements you can determine if you are going in the right direction and make adjustments along the way if necessary. Be able to ask yourself "How much, how many, how long"

I think another important thing to setting goals is keeping up motivation. Seeing results is a big motivator. Awards are also good for staying on track. Another good form of motivation is having friends that are trying to achieve the same things as you.  Without motivation you will easily lose track of the big picture and fade away from the goal. 

Achievable

You don't want to set yourself up for failure. You need to be able to develop a strategy of how you are going to achieve your goal. You don't need to know all the details at first, just start with a general plan. Focus on actions you can take that are in your direct control. 

Realistic 

The actions you need to take to achieve your goal are things that you can actually do and control. Your goals also need to be relevant to yourself. They need to be meaningful and significant, in order to make a difference in your life. 

Timely

This was touched on under measurement, but it is to important not to have it's own category. If you do not but a time limit on the goal you will mentally be able to push it aside and there fore never achieve it. 

My New Years Resolutions

I'll use one of my own resolutions as an example of how to set a SMART goal.

BAD :I want to lose weight.

GOOD: I want to lose 20 pounds in 4 months by counting calories and exercising at the gym 3 times a week. I will eat only 1200 calories a day and keep track of this on my iPhone with an app I downloaded. Every Tuesday I will weight myself and have a goal of losing between 1-2 pounds a week. I will also limit myself to 3 alcoholic drinks a night only 2 nights a week. These drinks most be under 150 calories each. (This is a large change since I turned 21 six months ago.)  If I make this goal I will reward myself with a at home spa day or a mini shopping spree. No food rewards!