It’s that time of year…
Time to hit the yearly reset and make commitments to becoming a better human. But according to U.S. News & World Report, about 80% of those New Year’s resolutions fail by the second week of February.
We all know this is a fact, and that’s why most write off their resolutions as failures before they even start.
This doesn’t have to be the case!
Hopefully, this will help you achieve something great this year…
Set Better Goals
Many resolutions fail because there is no way to achieve success.
Goals like losing weight, reading more, or spending less money, have no direction or definition of accomplishment.
That’s why it’s always important to set S.M.A.R.T Goals.
- Specific- What exactly do you want to achieve?
- Measurable- What is a milestone that will signify achievement?
- Achievable- Is your goal attainable with your life circumstances?
- Relevant- Does this goal match your priorities?
- Time-Bound- When do you want to achieve it by?
Ultimately SMART Goals provide direction and motivation to keep moving forward even when things go astray.
Create a Process
It’s not enough to simply make a goal, you must also create a plan of attack. Because most already know what they NEED to do but get stumped by HOW to do it.
If you have spent any time on social media, you’ve most likely seen this commencement speech from Admiral William H. McRaven.
The entire speech is absolutely worth watching, but I found this small segment to be the most impactful.
The big takeaway is not the importance of making your bed but the additive gains from accomplishing small objectives.
Related to achieving New Year’s Resolutions, create a time, place, and order of events that create a daily routine around what you want to achieve.
This is the framework needed for consistency.
For example, for someone who hopes to run a marathon in the upcoming year, making the following morning commitments would support the success:
- Laying out running clothes and shoes the night before.
- Drinking a protein shake right after waking up.
- Going through a 5-minute dynamic warm-up (how about the CS Hip and Core program?)
All of these things make small steps towards completing a good run. But each is also a small victory that generates motivation towards getting other things done….like a long run.
For this reason, adding in small objectives, even unrelated to running, can also be helpful. Why not make the bed rather than scroll social media? It’s infinitely more motivational (not to mention beneficial) than any Instagram inspiration you might find.
New Year, New Goals
New Year’s Resolutions are laughable when they are vague and nonspecific. But a SMART goal with a clear process to achieve it proves that you mean business.
Along with these things, tell people who will keep you accountable, track and celebrate milestones on the road to success, and remember the most important step in achieving your goal is the next step you take after moving away from it.