How To Get The Most Out Of Your New Year's Resolution

How are those New Year's resolutions going for you?

There are two possible outcomes from reading that question. Either you got excited or you rolled your eyes. Either way is fine. If you have been keeping up with your goals and starting to see or feel results, way to go!! Keep crushing it! “You’re doing amazing, sweety” -Kris Jenner.

For the majority of people who “forgot” about their New Year's resolutions or even decided that they are giving up, it’s okay. It’s possible that the goal you made for yourself was out of reach at the moment. However, I’m almost certain it is still attainable.

Let’s look at a different angle of how to reach your New Year's resolution. Have you heard of SMART goals?

SMART goals stand for:

Specific

Measurable

Attainable

Relevant

Time-bound.

Let’s pretend your New Year’s resolution was to lose 30 lbs this year. Fine. That’s great that you want to take back control of your health but how do you start? It is incredibly difficult to change your usual habits cold-turkey. The people who think that they can do that usually end up gaining more weight once they give up trying.

This goal of wanting to lose 30 lbs this year is very broad and needs to be broken down so that you know how you can accomplish it.

Let’s start with S – Specific

This needs to be like your mission statement for your goal that you will accomplish. The “S” is going to answer all of the “W” questions:

Who- Think about who needs to be informed and involved in this goal that you are making. Is this a group goal?

What- Think about what you want to accomplish and be detailed.

When- This will be more specific under the “T” for time-bound but you can think about the time frame you’d like to accomplish your goal

Where- This question all depends on what your goal is. If it is a personal achievement goal then it isn’t really necessary but if you are setting a goal based on a location this would apply.

Which- This is where you think of real obstacles that may get in your way. How realistic is your goal? If you decide you want to quit your job and travel to every single country on the planet in a year that’s obviously not realistic. You’d have to figure out what countries you are able to go to. Do you have the funds? Do you really want to see every single country on the planet? Where will you stay? How long will you be in each country? The list goes on.

Why- What is the reason for this goal? Did your doctor tell you that you need to lose weight otherwise you won’t be around to see your grandkids?

M - Measurable

What will you use to determine when you have reached your goal or not? Is it a certain weight on the scale? Clear skin? An amount of money in your savings account? If it is going to take some time to accomplish you’ll need and want to set milestones along the way to track your progress and stay motivated.

A-Attainable

This is where you focus on the importance of your goal. How essential is achieving this goal for you? Do you possess all of the skills and tools you need in order to achieve it? What skills/tools are you lacking and how can you get them?

R – Realistic

How does this goal correlate with the bigger picture? For instance, if your goal is to lose weight that is relevant to your overall health (7 dimensions), being around to see your future and your family’s future, improves your mood, etc. If your goal is to have 1,000 friends on social media but you don’t even post or update your page, that goal isn’t relevant.

T- Time-bound

Without realistic timing of a goal, chances are it won’t be reached. Having a specific time to allow yourself to achieve your goal will give you a sense of urgency to achieve the goal. You should make half-way points depending on how long the goal will take. Ask yourself specific questions to have the goal be accomplished.

Now that you know what SMART goals are, let’s make one! Check out the handout that I made to assist!

I challenge you to take a look at your new year’s resolution and apply these SMART goals to it!

If you like this post, click the heart below. Comment if you have or have not heard of SMART goals before, I’d love to know!