By Jessica Williams, RD, Prime Surgicare
January is already in motion and some of us have already let those earnest New Year’s promises “to change” slip out the door. Studies show that New Year commitments are usually pushed aside and forgotten within just four weeks. There must be a better way to reach your most important goals in life.
For starters, New Year’s resolutions are a promise, not an actual plan.
For example, stating you want to “get in shape, lose weight or get healthy” are all great ideas, but they are tough to achieve without detailed steps to follow.
Get SMARTer
One helpful way to make resolutions stick is to set up a S.M.A.R.T. goal:
S: Specific
Make your goal very specific
M: Measurable
How will you know if you achieved your goal? What measurements are you going to use?
A: Achievable/Attainable
Make sure you can attain this goal in the time frame you set up
R: Realistic/Relevant
The goal you set up should be aligned with your overall objective
T: Time Frame
The amount of time you set up to allow to achieve the goal
S.M.A.R.T. Goal Examples
If your resolution is “I am going to get into better shape this year,” your S.M.A.R.T. goal could be so “I will walk 30 minutes 5 times per week.” Obviously, your SMART goal is a specific goal with defined measurements—30 minutes and 5X/weekly, and it specifically aligns with getting into better shape (making it relevant).
Goal Achieved—Now What?
What happens if I achieve my goal and it is very easy?
Two options:
1) Pat yourself on the back for a ‘mission accomplished.
2) Boost your goal up a notch (or two)
- Make your goal more challenging by changing the length and/or walking frequency.
- Expand the original goal to a more challenging one, like adding a second type of work-out to your plan, such as biking or stair-climbing once or twice a week.
What happens if I achieve my goal and it is challenging to accomplish? Keep the same goal and re-evaluate weekly; when the goal gets easier – push yourself to a higher challenge.
Goal Fail —Now What?
What happens if I am not able to achieve my goal? Do not give up!
IF you did not achieve your goal, look back and figure out what may have hindered your success. Then, try to overcome these obstacles and try again. Some goals look easily achievable on paper (or in your mind) but are more complicated in reality.
Goals are often not achieved after the first, second or even third effort.
But each time you try, you get one step closer to victory.
Changing bad habits is difficult, no question about it. However, if you set out a well-defined strategy to achieve the goal for yourself, you have a much higher chance for success! In the comment section below, let me know how your 2024 goals are going so far. If you have questions or challenges, I’ll be happy to reply with some suggestions.
Good luck and wishing you every success in 2024!