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Resolutions, goals, self-challenges: All of these words and similar phrases are swimming around in many of our heads and conversations this week. The new year brings a sense of freshness, newness, and the opportunity to start over. That is why many people choose January 1 as a time to implement goals for themselves and dive into a list of resolutions.
Renewal of oneself is a good thing. Re-evaluating priorities and setting goals is an exercise that we should do throughout the year, not just when the calendar turns over. Studies tell us that most of us, however, don’t make it past January maintaining success in those goals we set out to accomplish as “New Year’s resolutions.” The initial gusto and motivation quickly wane and we may be left with disappointment and a feeling of defeat. It is possible to keep those resolutions and reach those goals, however. We just have to be conscious about how we approach them and to be mindful of our motivations.
There are several strategies in setting and accomplishing goals that have been proven to ensure higher levels of success. I will outline those below, along with examples of how they may be implemented with a commonly set resolution at this time of year: getting healthy.
1. Define your goal in specific and quantifiable (or measurable) terms. What does “getting healthy” mean? What would your life or you look like if you were “healthy?” Perhaps it could mean:
- Lose weight: How much? And in what time-frame?
- Lower blood pressure (or blood sugar, or some other measure of health): To what level?
- Exercise: How often? What type?
- Eat well: What types of foods? How often?
The goals need to be measurable so that you will be able to determine if and when you have met them.
2. Break the overall goal up into smaller, realistic goals. Much like you did above in #1, the idea of “getting healthy” could entail many smaller goals. Even within those that identified above, however, you will need to identify even smaller steps. For example, if we look at losing weight:
- Set a goal weight that you would like to reach by the end of the year. Make sure this is a realistic number and one that is healthy for you.
- Now, back up from there and determine goal weights for each month between now and then. (Most health experts do not recommend setting weight loss goals for less than 1-month increments because trying to lose exorbitant amounts of weight in less time than that is not healthy.)
- Determine the steps you will need to take to reach each of those short-term goals.
As you can see, you could break your goals down further and further. Do this for all of the smaller goals you identified in #1. The purpose for doing this is to wind up with goals that are attainable. If your stated goal of “getting healthy” is all you have, that seems pretty nebulous and overwhelming. Having smaller, realistic, short-term goals allows you to see what you need to do to work towards that overall, long-term goal.
3. Gain support from loved ones and/or professionals. Talk with your healthcare provider, a nutritionist, exercise consultant, or other professionals who could help determine what goals are realistic and healthy for you. Also share your goals with family members and friends who will be supportive and help you work towards you goal. You may find someone who has a similar goal and would be willing to be a work-out buddy or lunch partner. That support is vital to success; it is not often that we succeed in reaching individual goals without some help along the way.
4. Write your goals down. Map out those short-term goals and write them down on paper. Post the steps somewhere prominent that you will see them and be able to remind yourself of what you are trying to accomplish. This list can also serve as a check-list where you can mark off where you have reached goals and remind yourself of the progress you are making.
5. Along the same lines as #3 and #4, make a public announcement of your goal. Often, we are embarrassed about the goals we have for ourselves because we don’t want other people to know what we may be struggling with. Publicly announcing your goal will make it more real, however, and also offer opportunity for support, as we noted above to be so important. For example, you could sign up for a local road race, pay the entry fee, and tell your friends about your goal in running it.
6. Reward yourself. When you attain a short-term goal, do something to reinforce your efforts and sustain your motivation. Perhaps when your blood pressure reaches your goal level, you could schedule a massage or borrow a new book from the library to enjoy. As humans, we respond most strongly to positive reinforcement; do something for yourself that rewards the hard work you have done. You will be more likely to keep it up.
7. Re-evaluate and redefine. After some time in working towards your short-term goals, look back at what you have accomplished and what you have left to do. Re-evaluate how realistic they are, redefine the short-term goals, and set new ones if appropriate. Sometimes the initial goals we set are just not effective for one reason or another; rather than giving up completely, a better solution would be to redefine them. Perhaps your initial goal was to exercise for 30 minutes, 3 days per week. After some time, you have accomplished that and realize that you would benefit from increasing the time you spend sweating every week. Maybe your new goal would be 45 minutes, 3 days per week.
8. Keep a positive attitude. Just setting your goals is a huge step towards progress and self-improvement. The task of evaluating your life and determining areas you would like to make improvement is not easy and merits a pat on the back. Success with resolutions requires taking small steps. Staying positive will ensure that you keep chipping away at your goal, despite set-backs and hurdles that are inevitable. Remember why you are doing this, what your overall goal is, and give yourself credit for making the attempt.
As the clock strikes midnight tonight, we all have a unique opportunity to shift focus and strive for something new. Think about what your resolutions might be and how they could help you to find balance in your life. Be realistic, be positive, and get started! Here’s to a simple and balanced 2010 - Happy New Year from all of us at :simple:balance:!
What goals, resolutions, or self-challenges are you setting for yourself this year?
Renewal of oneself is a good thing. Re-evaluating priorities and setting goals is an exercise that we should do throughout the year, not just when the calendar turns over. Studies tell us that most of us, however, don’t make it past January maintaining success in those goals we set out to accomplish as “New Year’s resolutions.” The initial gusto and motivation quickly wane and we may be left with disappointment and a feeling of defeat. It is possible to keep those resolutions and reach those goals, however. We just have to be conscious about how we approach them and to be mindful of our motivations.
There are several strategies in setting and accomplishing goals that have been proven to ensure higher levels of success. I will outline those below, along with examples of how they may be implemented with a commonly set resolution at this time of year: getting healthy.
1. Define your goal in specific and quantifiable (or measurable) terms. What does “getting healthy” mean? What would your life or you look like if you were “healthy?” Perhaps it could mean:
- Lose weight: How much? And in what time-frame?
- Lower blood pressure (or blood sugar, or some other measure of health): To what level?
- Exercise: How often? What type?
- Eat well: What types of foods? How often?
The goals need to be measurable so that you will be able to determine if and when you have met them.
2. Break the overall goal up into smaller, realistic goals. Much like you did above in #1, the idea of “getting healthy” could entail many smaller goals. Even within those that identified above, however, you will need to identify even smaller steps. For example, if we look at losing weight:
- Set a goal weight that you would like to reach by the end of the year. Make sure this is a realistic number and one that is healthy for you.
- Now, back up from there and determine goal weights for each month between now and then. (Most health experts do not recommend setting weight loss goals for less than 1-month increments because trying to lose exorbitant amounts of weight in less time than that is not healthy.)
- Determine the steps you will need to take to reach each of those short-term goals.
As you can see, you could break your goals down further and further. Do this for all of the smaller goals you identified in #1. The purpose for doing this is to wind up with goals that are attainable. If your stated goal of “getting healthy” is all you have, that seems pretty nebulous and overwhelming. Having smaller, realistic, short-term goals allows you to see what you need to do to work towards that overall, long-term goal.
3. Gain support from loved ones and/or professionals. Talk with your healthcare provider, a nutritionist, exercise consultant, or other professionals who could help determine what goals are realistic and healthy for you. Also share your goals with family members and friends who will be supportive and help you work towards you goal. You may find someone who has a similar goal and would be willing to be a work-out buddy or lunch partner. That support is vital to success; it is not often that we succeed in reaching individual goals without some help along the way.
4. Write your goals down. Map out those short-term goals and write them down on paper. Post the steps somewhere prominent that you will see them and be able to remind yourself of what you are trying to accomplish. This list can also serve as a check-list where you can mark off where you have reached goals and remind yourself of the progress you are making.
5. Along the same lines as #3 and #4, make a public announcement of your goal. Often, we are embarrassed about the goals we have for ourselves because we don’t want other people to know what we may be struggling with. Publicly announcing your goal will make it more real, however, and also offer opportunity for support, as we noted above to be so important. For example, you could sign up for a local road race, pay the entry fee, and tell your friends about your goal in running it.
6. Reward yourself. When you attain a short-term goal, do something to reinforce your efforts and sustain your motivation. Perhaps when your blood pressure reaches your goal level, you could schedule a massage or borrow a new book from the library to enjoy. As humans, we respond most strongly to positive reinforcement; do something for yourself that rewards the hard work you have done. You will be more likely to keep it up.
7. Re-evaluate and redefine. After some time in working towards your short-term goals, look back at what you have accomplished and what you have left to do. Re-evaluate how realistic they are, redefine the short-term goals, and set new ones if appropriate. Sometimes the initial goals we set are just not effective for one reason or another; rather than giving up completely, a better solution would be to redefine them. Perhaps your initial goal was to exercise for 30 minutes, 3 days per week. After some time, you have accomplished that and realize that you would benefit from increasing the time you spend sweating every week. Maybe your new goal would be 45 minutes, 3 days per week.
8. Keep a positive attitude. Just setting your goals is a huge step towards progress and self-improvement. The task of evaluating your life and determining areas you would like to make improvement is not easy and merits a pat on the back. Success with resolutions requires taking small steps. Staying positive will ensure that you keep chipping away at your goal, despite set-backs and hurdles that are inevitable. Remember why you are doing this, what your overall goal is, and give yourself credit for making the attempt.
As the clock strikes midnight tonight, we all have a unique opportunity to shift focus and strive for something new. Think about what your resolutions might be and how they could help you to find balance in your life. Be realistic, be positive, and get started! Here’s to a simple and balanced 2010 - Happy New Year from all of us at :simple:balance:!
What goals, resolutions, or self-challenges are you setting for yourself this year?
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