It’s that time of year again when people jump on the ‘self-improvement’ bandwagon! New Years resolutions can range from wanting to lose a bit of weight or starting up a swear jar. As we know most NYR end up forgotten or given up on by February. This is because people don’t give themselves realistic expectations; setting themselves goals to large, not giving achievable time limits or is just unrealistic.
In order to keep and attain a goal it is important set smaller goals which can be monitored and celebrated with each achievement!
SMART goals help to work out everything you want from your goal and stick to it!
Specific- Be very clear in what you want to achieve. Consider breaking the goal down into smaller steps.
Measurable- How will you know when you have achieved your goal? What will you be doing at that time? What will other notice you doing? What will be different? What will you have started or be doing regularly? What will you have stopped or doing less of?
Achievable- Ensure your goals are not too high. Don’t set yourself up to fail! Consider setting smaller goals on the way to the big one. Celebrate your success. If you don’t achieve what you set out to, then ask yourself what you could do differently, what would make you more likely to succeed next time?
Realistic and Resourced- Is this achievable with the resources I have? Are there any other resources you need before you can, or to help you, achieve your goal? How can you access these resources? What problem might you have? What can you do to minimise those problems?
Time Limited- Set reasonable time limit to achieve your goal. 1 week, 1 month, 6 months, 1 year, 5 years? Consider smaller, different time limits for smaller steps.
For example if my NYR was to lose a bit of weight and tone up. Instead of saying to myself that by next Christmas I will be perfect, I would set smaller goals, such as lose 2 pounds in two weeks. If this goal isn’t met I can access it and work out what I could have changed to reach my next 2 week goal. Each goal reached should be celebrated and motivate you towards the next mini goal!