New Years resolutions............Get fit, lose weight, take more holidays, spend more time with family, more me time etc.........
The beginning of the year is a great time to set goals in any aspect of your life.
Fresh start, new you.
There is nothing wrong in wanting to make improvements to your body or mind.
Here are a few things you can do to give yourself the maximum chance of succeeding. Read on......
Be SMART - that is, make your goals SMART goals.
S = Specific
M = Measurable
A = Achievable
R = Relevant
T = Time-based
The SMART method was the brainchild of a business consultant George Doran in the United States in 1981. It was developed for the managers of large companies to help them succeed at projects and improve performance. It is now used across the world in business and academia.
Lets break it down: We will use an example of wanting to lose weight.....
Specific - Be specific about what it is you want to accomplish. How much weight you want to lose. Consider who else is to be involved and have a think about what may be your obstacles to achievement. Also, look at the reasons why you want to set this goal.
Measurable - How are you going to determine or measure if you have met your goal? Are you using scales, mirror, clothing fit, fat percentage or tape measure?
Set some milestones to break down the challenge into bitesize pieces.
Achievable - How important is this goal to you? Do you need to acquire new skills or get some help to reach your goal? Are you committed? Is the goal actually realistic?
Relevant - Can you achieve your goal or have you made it too big? Do you actually need to accomplish this goal in your life? Losing 10 stone in a month, for example, probably is not going to be a successful goal! If you cannot commit right now, don't force it, come back to it when you are in a better frame of mind. Delaying goal setting is better for you mentally than failing a goal.
Time based - Have a target date and also interim target dates so that your big goal has been broken down into manageable chunks. You may want to lose 2 stone by the summer, but try and give yourself a monthly target of say 6-8 pounds.
Write down your SMART goal plan and keep it handy so you can refer to it. Put it on the fridge or in your workplace.
No matter how big your goal, this template will work. All you have to bring is your motivation and self belief.
Don't be afraid to ask for help, or join a group of likeminded people like at a gym or weight loss club.
Your goal may change as you make your way through the year, don't be afraid to adjust each part of the SMART template to better reflect your needs. You can therefore add ER onto the end to make SMARTER goals as you Evaluate and ReDo things.
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Thanks for reading.