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Welcome to 2022! As only Covid-19 has proven to do, 2021 has once again left us feeling stressed, lonely, worried and confused! If you are like me, you have had enough and want to restart your new sense of normalcy, whatever that may be. Well this is your motivational calling! LET’S DO THIS! Start your year off right by claiming a new mindset and setting up new smart goals and LET’S ROLL…..

Now the fact is, most of our goals become a meme or even a joke as the year moves on. This year, lets work on setting smart goals. Not saying your previous goals were dumb but we are talking about S.M.A.R.T Goals. SMART is an acronym for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Timely. Each of these factors are proven to help people achieve their goals.

Let’s dive a little deeper. Let’s use the common example of weight loss:

“I want to lose weight this year” vs “I want to lose 20 lbs in the next 3 months.”

Specific

Though both statements mean the same thing, the first is vague and the second is specific as to the goal. See the difference? Being specific as to the overall goal lets you and your accountability partner know exactly your intentions.

Measurable

Using the same examples above, the first statement of wanting to lose weight spells out what you want, but is it measurable? Nope! The second statement tells you exactly how much you want to lose. You have a specific number to measure on the scale!

Achievable

Is this goal realistic? Well, according to the commonly used measurements of 1-2 pounds per week, this goal is both obtainable and safe. Setting unrealistic goals is one of the most common mistakes when it comes to goal setting. Be realistic, do your research on what is safe. Of course you want to set your goals high but unachievable goals not only set you up for burnout and failure, they can inhibit your mindset for future accomplishments.

Relevant

What is your biggest goal in life? Or, what is your end goal? Are the SMART goals you are setting now relevant to your end goal? For instance, if you want to get a new job this year, would losing weight be relevant to this end goal? (Unless your new dream job is a fitness model and you are 20 lbs overweight, I doubt your weight will keep you from getting your new job). Think of what you want in life and set your goals with the intention of reaching your dreams.

Timely

Finally, you have to give yourself a timeframe. If you don’t have an endpoint, you can’t truly measure your progress or success. With this step, you need to keep in mind the achievable aspect of your goal. Is a 20 lb weight loss achievable in 2 weeks? Not unless you are deathly ill and then it would not be relevant. Your timing should be both achievable and appropriate for your circumstances.

Now when setting goals, you can choose both long term and short term goals. The definition of long vs short depends on the person. For instance, if my long term goal is to pay off my mortgage in 10 years, then some short term goals would be to start making an extra payment to my mortgage every year starting this year. Here you have both short term and long term goals that are aimed at achieving the same end goal!

Start off by getting a journal or notebook and write down your dreams. Write both your daily dreams and your wildest imagination. Now pick one. Make it a SMART goal.

WRITE IT DOWN! One of the most powerful methods of reaching a goal is to first write it down. Those who write their goals are much more likely to reach them! Check out my new favorite planner that is full of helpful goal setting pages. So far, I have set goals and broken them down to monthly goals. Next, we will try to make them weekly!

Once your SMART goal is written down, start to break it up into steps. For instance with the mortgage goal I mention previously, I wanted to pay an extra mortgage payment every year…. I can now break this down further by stating that to make the extra payment, I can pay an extra $100/month on my monthly payments (if the mortgage payment is $1200 monthly). Now I have a shorter term goal for each month. You can then break it down further by stating that you will save $25/week by taking your lunch to work with you instead of eating out 4 out of days. Again, keep them specific, measurable, achievable and relevant!

Not only have you set long-term and short term goals, but you now have a plan to do it!

Grab a pen and journal and lets get started.

What are some of your New Year Goals? Comment below