Defining New Years Resolutions
Winter is a time of rest, introversion, and reflection. We use this time to consider where we’ve been, and where we want to go. We define our goals, our new years resolutions.
Better New Years Resolutions
As a society, we are bad about achieving our new years resolutions. Sometimes, it’s s because they’re badly defined as something like lose weight
. Sometimes, it’s because the ultimate goal feels so far away, or so grand, that it’s insurmountable in your mind. For example, you need to lose 100 pounds. This is the case for me. You learned somewhere that there are 3,500 calories in a pound. So that means you need burn off 350,000 calories, while still consuming 1,800 calories per day to be healthy. How in the hell is that possible? you ask — which is my point!
As you craft your New Years resolutions, lets define them as S.M.A.R.T. goals. There seems to be multiple definitions of the acronym, so for our purposes lets go with:
- S – Specific
- M – Measurable
- A – Action oriented
- R – Reasonable
- T – Time bound
For example, you might write down. I will lose 50 pounds by Christmas Eve
. That works, but you could also write it as I will lose 4 pounds a month
. The second way gives you more opportunities to succeed. If you miss the goal for a month, it doesn’t have to feel like a big failure. You can just continue your effort for next month. It may seem like playing semantics, but the difference in mindset is huge. This is what I’m going to try this year to achieve my new years resolutions.
One More Thing
Write down your goals and put them somewhere visible. Post them on your blog, but also take a screenshot and keep it available on your desktop. That way you can find them easily and refer to them regularly.
Good luck!