Are you one of those people who has a million great ideas for the New Year, fail at them all in the first week and then do nothing for the rest of the year? Me too. And eventually, I kind of gave up on resolutions at all. Because I figured if you really wanted to do something, you’d just do it. The New Year for me became about buying stationery supplies. Because stationery.
There are a few things about goals that make them a far better thing to aim for.
1) They are specific. Or they should be. Don’t think ‘I want to be healthier,’ think ‘These are the specific things I am aiming for’ – like a particular amount of exercise in the week, or only having chocolate once a week or whatever it is for you.
2) They are measurable. That’s important. Because you are going to fail some of the time. You aren’t going to be perfect. And you will have a week where things don’t go according to plan. But if they are measurable you can see that one bad day does not undo all the work you’ve done.
3) They are achievable. Which also means that you can have specific milestones along the way so you know you are on your way. Be realistic about time and motivation. Be aspirational, definitely. But don’t set yourself up for failure by going for something that is not going to work with the rest of your life.
4) You can evaluate them. If something is measurable then you can regularly track your progress and gain motivation from how well you are doing.
So what are your goals this year?