I know that each of you wants to be among the 8% of people who actually achieve their New Year’s Resolutions.
It really does end up being a pretty elite group and why not join them. It can bring so much into your life that you have always “wanted.” Now is the time to stop “wanting” those things and just start doing them. The most effective way that I have found at setting goals is using the S.M.A.R.T.E.R. method. It has worked very well for me and I am sure that it will for you as well as long as you apply the principles as outlined.
The first thing that you must do is see what your general goals are. A few of the most common are lose weight, quit smoking/drinking, save more, eat better and volunteer. These are very vague and will don’t really mean much by saying them in this manner, but I’m going to show you how to transform that general idea of a goal into one that sticks.
S.M.A.R.T.E.R. Goals
Specific: This is the starting point of what you really want to accomplish when setting your goal.
Measurable: Make sure your goal is manageable and meaningful to keep you motivated.
Attainable: You certainly want to reach for the moon, but do not expect to get there tomorrow. A good margin of error can be shoot for something 50% of what it is now (i.e. You made $100,000 last year and want to shoot for $150,000 this year. It is a stretch but certainly doable)
Relevant: You want this to not be something that makes sense for you at the time. If it is a waste of your time, then why bother.
Timely: When? It is very simple. Tomorrow, next week or August 6th 2015. It can be anything, but make sure to look back to those above to make sure it can be attained in that specific time period.
Evaluate and Review: Make sure that you keep checking in on those goals. I like to review all of my goals on a daily basis to see where I’m at and see if I need to make changes.
An Example of One of My 2015 Lifting Goals
I am dead-lifting three times my bodyweight and it is not yet December 31st 2015.
It is relevant as I love to dead-lift to stay strong.
I evaluate and review my goals daily to track my progress.
The stage is set and it is your turn to make 2015 the best year ever. Make sure that you keep all of your goals in the present tense as if they have been done (i.e. “I weigh…”, “I make”, “I eat…”). Avoid things like “I will…” or “I am going to…”. Also, it is helpful to start with an end goal in mind as I showed you above and then break it down into smaller chunks. These can be 90 day or quarterly goals, monthly, weekly and even daily. These small wins begin to build upon themselves to get your momentum going. Once this starts you will see that you can achieve even more than you set out too.
Remember that you do not have to make this complicated. If there are only one or two things that you really want then start with those. I like to break up my goals into four categories; health, wealth, love and happiness. These are then further broken down to keep them relevant to me. I would love to have you share your goals with me and others. This accountability can also keep you on the rails. Best of luck and if you follow the steps outlined above you are on your way to a great year!
Have a Great Day!
Nick