"A Goal Without a Plan is Just a Wish"
How many times have you made a new years resolution and then completely abandoned it after the first one or two weeks of January. We have probably all done it. I see the same thing every year, any gym you go to is packed for one to two weeks and then it seems to go back to normal and all these . These people probably make some generic goal like "I want to exercise more." They think that their future self will be more motivated/hard-working and that this "year will be the year." Every year this happens though, and every year lots of people don't accomplish much of anything they wanted to. I was always curious why this was. It made me wonder if the a majority of all New Year's resolutions people make for themselves are as unsuccessful and what causes this to happen.
The SMART Method
I was introduced to the smart method goal setting theory in college and it immediately made perfect sense to use in any small or large goal you want to complete. This stands for:
S ----------------- Specific
This is the Who, What, Why, Where, and How questions. What exactly is the end result that you want to achieve and what are the specific tasks that will lead you to complete this?
M ---------------- Measurable
Most generic example someone wanting to lose weight and a scale. Being able to track your progress along the way and there should be a clear end point in sight. "I want to lose 5 pounds per month for a total of 50 pounds"
A ----------------- Achievable
Challenge yourself, but if a goal is too optimistic, you could become discouraged and lose motivation. You know yourself better than anyone.
R ----------------- Relevant
DO YOU REALLY WANT IT?! Why is this goal important to you? This is a big one to me, write out what the exact outcomes that will come from achieving this goal and why you value them so strongly.
T ----------------- Time-based
Enough time to complete but not so much time that it can impact your focus. "What will I be able to get done today, in a week, in two months, etc.?"
Write down each of these and keep track of your progress. It is crucial to do this and to review these documents on a normal basis and to make any adjustments if needed. One strategy I like to include is to tell people about your goal. It is a lot easier to back out of working on a goal when you haven't told friends and family about your goal. You could even ask them to keep on you about it and hold you more accountable. At the end of the day, (or should i say end of the year) lots of people set goals but the only a few will be able to feel the accomplishment of completing them. You can be one of these people too, all you have to do is be SMART!
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Happy New Year everyone... Have you made any new years resolutions yet and if so what are they?