New Years Resolutions

How many of you are sitting at home right now thinking up your list of new years resolutions?  You know, that list of things that you say you are going to do at the start of every year. The things that you always have the best intentions of doing, but never ever really accomplish. . come on, how many of you are working on that very list?


I'm not.  I do not believe in new years resolutions.  Why do we wait for the start of a new year to tell ourselves to do all these things we've either wanted or needed to do for a long time?  If you need to make changes in your life, make them.  Don't wait for a specific date to make a plan. . .JUST DO IT!


With that said, I do have some advice for those of you who are still compelled to work on those resolutions.  As you make your list, keep the word SMART in mind.  Why you might ask, well let me explain....


The word SMART is an acronym.  That's why I put it in all caps.  Any goal (because that's really all a resolution is, a goal) should be SMART. . .and here's exactly what that means

S - Specific

It should be very specific.  So if you want to resolve to lose weight in 2012. . .don't just resolve to lose weight, resolve to lose a specific amount of weight.

M - Measurable

If you can't measure your progress, how will you know you've achieved your goal?  With weight loss goals, this is simple.  You can hop on a scale and easily measure your weight loss.  Just make sure you have some sort of 'yardstick' to measure any other goals against.

A - Attainable

Let's keep it real here, don't set a goal that is out of your reach.  I keep using weight loss as an example because it's easy to explain. . .and because it's a common resolution for many, but if you are trying to lose weight, saying you are going to lose 100lbs is not realistic.  Unless you are a contestant on the Biggest Loser, that would not be an attainable goal.  You would want to make the mark high, but not so high that you'll never get there.

R - Relevant

This is the part that many people miss.  They set goals just because it pops into their head.  It has to be something relevant to you and your life.  If you are a person that barely logs onto Facebook, it would not be very relevant for you to resolve to spend less time on Facebook.  

T - Time-bound

Even if you do everything listed above, your goal still means nothing if it is not time bound.  Just like there is a starting point, there has to be an end point.  It could be a few months, it could be all year. . .but you have to know it from the start.  

Make sure you keep SMART in mind now and going forward whenever you need to set goals for yourself.  I guarantee you will see a difference if you do.

I hope you all have a safe & happy New Years.  

See you on the flip side :)

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