Typically, we make a lot of incredible goals going into the beginning of a new year. The tricky part about creating such fantastic goals is being able to stick to them! New Year’s resolutions are often accessible but much more challenging to achieve.
How do I make my goals achievable this year? I want to reflect on the year and be proud that I achieved my goals!
The first step is SETTING a goal; goals differ from person to person depending on everyone’s vision for themselves. When setting your goals, using the SMART acronym will be beneficial in making your goals realistic in your life.
- Specific
- Measurable
- Achievable
- Relevant
- Timeframe
Now that you have your goals in mind, we need to implement the SMART acronym. Using the SMART acronym will make your goals more likely to be achieved when your objectives fit your lifestyle and what is important to you.
Starting strong:
Specific:
What do I want to achieve?
What you want to achieve is the basis of your goal; what do you want to accomplish? Make sure that it is narrow enough that it is an unrealistic expectation you make unachievable. For example, if your goal is to start exercising more. Don’t put the expectation to work out for 3 hours every day of the week.
Measurable:
How am I going to keep track of my progress?
Keeping track of your progress is one of the most essential parts of a fitness journey. If you are documenting your progress, whether it be taking progress pictures, having a friend to hold you accountable, or even writing out your goals and accomplishing dates, it can be super helpful!
Achievable:
What steps will I take to make my goal(s) happen?
Make sure that your goal is realistic for your life! For example, if you finish 2023 with an alcoholic drink every day. Putting your plan as not drinking at all during 2024 might be extremely difficult. Consider setting a more minor, attainable schedule, such as cutting to only having drinks twice a week.
Remember: you want your goals to fit your life, not move your life around to fit your goals.
Relevant:
Is this goal relevant to my life?
Is it important enough for me to follow through with it?
If you set goals you don’t want to achieve, following through with them will be challenging. A positive attitude towards a goal you want to accomplish makes reaching your goal 10 times easier.
For example, if you hate running, and your friend wants to run a marathon, she talks you into signing up with her. It will be challenging to reach your goal of running a marathon when it isn’t something you want to do or enjoy.
Timeframe:
When am I going to achieve this goal(s)?
Set a date that you want to have your goal achieved. Stick to this time frame. Try to accomplish your objective by the date you set. Make sure that the date you select is attainable for your goal. For example, if you plan to run a marathon. Do not set your time frame for a month. You need to give yourself time to train to reach your goal. Putting your time frame as I want to run a marathon in the next six months, you have a much greater chance of being able to run that marathon.
Your SMART goals should have long-term goals as well as short-term goals. You will always have goals that are bigger than others, so establishing those will help give you a baseline of where to start.
A couple of reminders: Every goal will always have bumps along the way. Such as being busy with work, a break-up, sick kiddos, etc. Fighting to stick to your goals even when life gets busy makes your goal become a habit.
Here are a couple of things to remember along the way:
- Commit yourself to the goals that you set for yourself!
- Everybody has a choice, but nobody will choose for you.
- Remember the reward that you are trying to achieve!
- If you are trying to run a marathon, list reasons why you want to. If you lack the WANT, it’s easy to fall back into old habits.
- Be prepared for bumps in the road.
- Everything you do will always have challenges; adapt to the challenges and continue to push.
Moving into 2024, I hope you remember the SMART acronym when setting your New Year’s Goals. Remember, we make goals for a reason: to better ourselves. So, here’s to a year of continuing to grow into a better us,
Thanks for reading my first article! I hope you enjoyed it. Stay tuned for our next Wellness Wednesday!
Sources
How to keep your New Year’s resolution: Weight loss. Performance Health. (n.d.). https://www.performancehealth.com/articles/how-to-keep-your-new-years-resolution-weight-loss
Richard Batts Author Profile. (2023, February 2).
Why most New Year’s resolutions fail: Lead read Today. Lead Read Today | Fisher College of Business. https://fisher.osu.edu/blogs/leadreadtoday/why-most-new-years-resolutions-fail
Prepared by: Lorrie Wood, Nutritional Student Assistant for Texas Tech Hospitality Services
For Questions: Mindy Diller, MS, RDN, LD Registered Dietitian Nutritionist http://www.Smartchoices@ttu.edu
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