reach your new years goals with this stratgey
so, you are having a hard time achieving your goals?
like everyone else, you had a great start at the beginning of January but it’s the same as every other year
February comes around, and you start slacking,
by March you will have completely forgotten about your goals.
we all feel the energy that comes with the new year, but it always goes away after a few weeks,
we start strong but as soon as we miss a few days we throw our goals to the wind,
but it doesn’t have to be this way…
if you have the right mindset and the right system in place, it will be much easier for you to actually achieve your goals.
turn your goals into habits and you will achieve them without even trying.
I had the new year energy, so I set huge goals for January, but like always after about 2 weeks I realized that they were unrealistic.
I realized I need a goal-setting strategy,
so, let’s take a look at how we can maximize our chances of achieving our goals by using the SMART goals method.
SMART goals method
SMART stands for specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound
so, grab a pen and paper or open your notes on your phone whichever you prefer!
and let’s set some goals!
Specific:
be specific about your goal, if you can’t imagine it how are you going to achieve it?
if you are not specific, how will you know when you have achieved your goal?
example: save $1,000
An example of a goal that is not specific would be to save money
Measurable:
your goal needs to be measurable so that you can track your progress by creating milestones
this creates momentum making it easier to achieve your goal
example: saving up $1,000 is measurable because you can track your progress and create milestones
for instance, 50% or $500 could be a milestone
Achievable:
make it achievable ask yourself is this possible for me to achieve, considering my lifestyle, income, or any other factors that keep you from achieving this goal
example: if you want to lose weight, let’s say you want to lose 20 lbs. You will probably not be able to lose 20 lbs. in one week
but losing 20 lbs. in 6 weeks could be an achievable goal.
start small so that you can build your confidence by actually achieving your goals
this will give you the momentum you need to hit bigger goals.
Relevant:
make sure your goals are relevant to the life you want…
because if your goal is irrelevant to the person you want to be or the life you want then there is no point in having that goal.
example: let’s say you want to be fit and healthy then a relevant goal would be to work out for 30 minutes every day and eat at least one healthy meal a day
an irrelevant goal would be watching Netflix all day and eating 10 donuts… lol
I might have exaggerated a little, but you get the idea.
Time-bound:
put a deadline on your goal so that you actually get it done.
you probably don’t need an example for this one but here it is anyway,
if you want to save $1,000 a deadline could be 90 days depending on your income, remember to keep it achievable!
with a timeline, you can’t just say I’ll buy this new pair of shoes (that you don’t need… or maybe you do need them, in that case, go ahead and buy them) and I will save up later.
conclusion:
set goals that align with who you are or who you want to be.
focus on input rather than outcome, because you can’t always control the outcome.
give yourself grace…
setting goals is a skill so set goals
and put in the effort, if you reach your goal great celebrate your win,
if you don’t reach it adjust your strategy and try again.
and remember you don’t need a new year to set goals.
if you enjoyed reading this article you might also enjoy this article
best wishes – Gloria
