Goal Setting

New Year New Me. How many of us have said this phrase? I know I’m guilty of trying to come up with meaningful New Year’s resolutions. Maybe it’s a goal to exercise more, eat healthier, spend less time online, or to save some money. Unfortunately, a lot of these New Year’s resolutions get lost long before we really get started. I’m not saying it’s bad to set these resolutions, in fact I think goal setting is an incredible thing to do! But I tend to find that resolutions and goals are two completely different things, and I would encourage you to think about what goals you want to achieve in 2020, rather than what habits you want to break.

So…how do you set a successful goal? Where do you start?

1.Be SMART

Enter the HR part of my brain! For a goal to be effective, it should follow the SMART acronym.

S- what is the specific goal you want to accomplish? “saving money” or “losing weight” isn’t specific enough. Setting an exact dollar amount or an exact number of pounds to lose will help you continue to reach your goal.

M- how do you plan to measure your progress? Will you update a spreadsheet? Will you open a special bank account to track your spending and saving? Having progress updates long the way will help you stay the course.

A- is your goal attainable? Are you setting yourself up for a realistic goal or setting a goal so far out of reach that you end up setting yourself up for disappointment?

R- is this goal relevant? Are you setting a goal for the sake of setting one, or is this something you can realistically put as a top priority?

T- when will you complete this goal? Having a set timeline gives you something to work towards.

In the end, you wind up with a goal that looks like “I will save $1300 for vacation by the end of June 2020 by putting away $100 each pay check. Savings will be tracked through a spreadsheet that I will update monthly, and make adjustments to my spending where needed”.

2. Set a visual reminder of what you want to achieve

I know the term “vision board” can sound a little hokey, but there is something about having a visual that you see every day when you wake up and before bed to remind you of your goals. Maybe it’s a picture of the Eiffel Tower as a motivator to save money for vacation, or a picture of a designer pair of shoes you’ve been dreaming of. Determine what type of imagery will motivate you, and be sure to post it somewhere that you will see it!

3. See yourself where you wish to be

Can you picture yourself on the beach in Mexico sipping a margarita? Can you see yourself at the beach this summer oozing confidence? Seeing is believing on this one. Once you have that visual and feeling of achieving your goals, you’re not going to want to let that go.

4. Be comfortable with sacrifices

Let’s be honest, reaching goals takes time, hard work and dedication. Whether you are saving money, trying to lose weight, or striving for a promotion at work, you’re going to have to make some sacrifices to get there. Knowing in advance what concessions you are realistically able and willing to make, will help you achieve your goal.

5. Believe in yourself

You can do this! Remember, you are so much stronger than you know and are capable of anything! You’ve got this.

I hope you found this post to be helpful! I want to know what goal you are the most proud of achieving.