It's that time of year when many people develop resolutions for the new year. For decades, I've been encouraging clients to ditch new year's resolutions, and set SMART goals instead. Why? Because resolutions rarely work. Happily, there's research that shows SMART goals can help you create the life you want.
One reason is that resolutions are rarely successful is because they usually start off poorly, and get worse from there. Many resolutions are based on what I call statements of desire, like "I want to lose 20 pounds this year." Statements of desire are wildly unhelpful. They describe your destination, but don't give you any direction with regard to your journey. And statements of desire like "I want to lose 20 pounds this year" are often outside your circle of control. While there are things you can do to influence weight loss, you can't directly control it, or predict how much or when you'll lose weight.
So what's a SMART goal? A SMART goal is one that is:
Specific -- you know exactly what you're going to do to reach your goal (which should include where, when, and how you'll do things)
Measurable -- you can count, measure, or in some tangible way, know when you've reached your goal
Attainable -- your goal is in your circle of control (that is, there are specific, measurable things you can do that will help you get to your goal)
Realistic -- given how your life is, and who you are, you can accomplish the goal at this time
Time-limited -- your goal has a specific begin and end date
A SMART goal for weight loss might be "I will drink 2 liters of water daily, by drinking a half-liter of water before breakfast, a half-liter of water before lunch, a half-liter of water after lunch, and a half-liter of water before 9 PM for 14 days." This goal is Specific (you know exactly what, where, and how you're doing to get in 2 liters of water every day). It's also Measurable (you're drinking 2 liters, in half-liter increments, during certain time frames), and Attainable (drinking water is within your circle of control).
Whether or not this goal is Realistic depends on the individual. If you're currently drinking no water daily, starting with a half-liter a day and working up gradually might be more realistic. If your work schedule makes going to the restroom when you want difficult or impossible, you may need to plan your water intake differently.
You'll notice this goal is Time-limited, to 14 days. I encourage you to make your goals time-limited by using a number of days rather than weeks or months (or, worst of all, saying "for the rest of my life"). Goals like "I'll drink 2 liters of water every day for 2 weeks" usually fail, because what happens if you make it to day 9 of your second week, and fall short of your 2 liters of water? You haven't met your goal, and you aren't taking into consideration your 8 days of success.
And while you may need to follow through on a goal for the foreseeable future, goals that you'll do "for the rest of my life" are both discouraging and impossible. You may want to drink 2 liters of water every day for the rest of your life, but you aren't going to reach that goal. Things will happen outside your circle of control, you'll forget, and so on.
Next week we'll talk about some strategies that make following through on goals more fun, which in turn makes it more likely you'll be successful as you work toward your goals. In the meantime, make sure your goals for the new year are SMART!
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