How to Make New Year's Goals (And Actually Achieve Them)

According to U.S. News, 80% of New Year's Resolutions fail by the second week of February. 

And...

The Washington Post reports that 25% of us abandon our resolutions in only 7 days!  

Have you abandoned your resolutions yet?   

I hope not, 'cuz I'm here to help you avoid becoming a part of those very sad statistics!  In the next few weeks, I'm going to be posting tips and tricks to help you stay focused and kick some Resolution Booty!  Are you with me?  Let's get started!  

Tip #1:  Write It Down and Tell a Supportive Friend

Professor Gail Matthews at the Dominican University in California found that you are 42% more likely to achieve your goals if you write them down.  That percentage goes up even more if you share your written goals with friends who believe in your ability to accomplish those goals.  Pretty awesome, right?  And we've all got paper and a pencil available...and hopefully friends that believe in us...so...no excuses, right?  

So how do you write a goal?

SMART Goals, SMARTER Goals, CLEAR Goals, HARD Goals, Mind Maps, Vision Boards, Goal-Setting/Tracking Apps...there are tons of tools available for setting your goals, and I encourage you to check them all out, 'cuz different things work for different people.  

For today, I'm going to focus on SMART Goals....just because they're pretty much the rage right now.  :)  


What are SMART Goals?  SMART is an acronym:


1.  S is for Specific. 

So how often have you said, "My goal is to workout more."  What does that mean?  More than what?  More than your dog?  More than your neighbor?  Once a week?  Three times a week?  Every day? And what kind of workout?  Are you bellydancing?  Playing football?  Swimming?  What?  Pretend I'm the Goal Police and give me every little detail:

• Who is working on this goal? Hopefully, the answer is YOU!  AND, do you need to elicit anyone else's help to make this happen?
• What do you want to accomplish?  Get detailed!
• Where are you going to be when you're working on this goal?
• When will you work on this goal? 

So instead of "I'm going to workout more, " you might be more specific and say something like:  "I'm going to workout more and increase my strength and endurance.  I'm going to get up Monday through Friday at 6AM and do a 15 minute online body weight workout in my living room.  Saturday will be a rest day.  Sunday I'll take a one mile walk with my friends.  We'll choose the route on Saturday night. If my friends can't go...I'll walk by myself!  I'm going to do this for one whole month."   Now THERE'S a goal you can totally rock!  It's specific and detailed!  No fumbling around and wondering what you're going to do each day...it's already spelled out for you!


2.  M is for Measurable.

This part of goal setting is pretty closely related to the above paragraph about being specific. If you're really detailed and specific, it's EASY to measure your goal.  

For the above goal, you might make a daily checklist to see if you really DID do 15 mins of exercise M-F and walk for one mile every Sunday.  That way, you know you accomplished your overall goal of "exercising more". (Plus you get to check boxes every day...and that feels awesome!)

If you want to know if you increased your strength and endurance, you could make a plan to see how many pushups (sit ups, squats, jumping jacks...whatever!) you could do in 2 minutes BEFORE working on your goal and see how many you can do in 2 minutes at the end.  Have an idea in mind of how many you'd like to do...that way, you know if you accomplished your goal! 

3.  A is for Achievable.

Answer the questions:

• How can I accomplish this goal?
• How realistic is this goal based on the constraints that I have (time, money, health, etc.)? 

For example...if you have never ever exercised before, setting a goal to run a full marathon in a month may be overstepping the mark...just a tad. You have to give yourself the chance to be successful!  It is better to write goals on the easier side, achieve them, and then set higher goals for the next round, than to set crazy-lofty goals that might actually hurt your health rather than boost it.  PLUS, experiencing success makes you want to experience more success...cuz it feels SO good!  :)  

4.  R is for Relevant.

To me, this is the most important part of your goal.  Why does this goal matter to you? 

And again, be clear, be specific, and REALLY picture all the benefits you get from achieving this goal.  So you wanna work out "more" and "increase your strength and endurance"...WHY?  Why does that matter?

Will it give you more energy?  Will you lose weight?  Will it be easier to keep up with your kids?  Will you be more comfortable in your clothes?  Will you feel more confident?  Will you be able to do more fun, active, activities?  Will you lower your cholesterol?  Will you feel proud of yourself?  Will it give you joy?

Imagine completing your goal...really visualize it.  What expression is on your face?  How do you feel?  What can you do/experience now, that you couldn't before?

5.  T is for Time Frame.

If you were really Specific in step one...you've already got your time frame.  

That being said, sometimes it's hard to come up with a time frame.  So...if you're doing a month-long goal, think about the following questions:

• What do I want to accomplish by the end of the month?
• What can I accomplish in half a month?
• What can I accomplish in a week?
• What can I do each day?
• What can I do TODAY?

When you write your goal...if you can, incorporate dates.  Put them on your calendar.  Saying you'll do it "someday" or "soon" or "when I can" never happens. It just doesn't.  If you're going to work out every day at 6AM, put it in your calendar and set your alarm.  No excuses...nothing else takes priority.  Your goals are important.  YOU are important.  Don't forget that!

SOOOOO...That's it!  Think about your goals.  Write 'em out.  Share them with your amazing supportive friends.  Then go kick some booty!

Now this was just tip #1.  In the next few weeks, I'll put together more things to motivate you to stick with whatever it is you want to accomplish.  Don't be part of the 80% that gives up before February.  You got this!

Hugs!

Dorothy