Welcome To A New Year

Welcome to 2017.

Every year so many make resolutions that fall flat after just a few short days or weeks.  Many gym lovers choose other ways or times to exercise during January because it is so full during January.  We find it is more difficult to find our usual healthy choices in the grocery store because so many go out and get crumbled cauliflower and spinach. We start a reading plan in our Bible or a prayer plan, and within a few days life gets in the way and everything slips to less frequent, and sometime in February we realize we're back to wondering how we fit things in.

Here's the thing. Resolutions don't work!

So, are we resolved to just focus out a way to accept this life, be fat, unfit, disorganized, broke, unspiritual, stuck in the life we have? Absolutely not! Instead of making resolutions, we need to make SMART goals. SMART goals are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Time sensitive.

Specific: Answer who, what, when, where and why
Measurable: How much or how many
Attainable: Is achieving the goal worth your investment into accomplishing the goal
Realistic: While you want to challenge yourself, you also want to ensure your goal can be reached.
Time sensitive: Give a date when you will accomplish your goal.

Saying you want to lose 100 pounds in three months is specific, measurable, and time sensitive, but it is certainly not realistic. Saying you want to save money by the end of the year isn't specific enough.  Every portion of the SMART acronym is important.

In addition to having SMART goals,  you want to have goals that touch each facet of your life.  There are differing opinions on how many and what type of goals you should set. The areas I include in goal setting are Physical and Health, Financial, Spiritual, Family and Relationships, and Personal Development and Education. Remember some goals may crossover into more than one area. (Quitting smoking is good for your health and for your finances, as an example.)

As if all of that isn't daunting enough, it is important to review each goal, and set mini goals. (For example, if you want to lose 50 pounds by the end of the year, you could easily break that into a pound a week. You can check at the end of each week to see your progress.) You also should evaluate each goal for possible pitfalls accomplishing each goal, who might be able to help you accomplish the goals, and what other resources you may need to accomplish your goal.

No matter what remember that your goals should always be written. When you write a goal, you get it out of your head, and you can focus on it.

With all of that said, my goals are still mulling around in my head. So, I need to stop mulling, and start writing. I will share my goals as I work through each step. If you need further help with goals, I suggest Zig Ziglar. My Love for Words has some excellent printable to help with goals. Now, I am going to spend the rest of the day getting my goals on paper.