Why do New Year's Resolutions Fade by February 1?

Happy New Year! Wow I can hardly believe that it is already 2012. My father warned me a long time ago that time flies. He said: “Son, the older you get, the faster the years go by.” And I believe that is so true. Christmas seems to come and go so much faster these days. Doesn’t it. And now the new year has already begun.

That is why I wanted to share with you my thoughts on creating smart goals for 2012. If you’re going to work on something this year to improve your life, why not make sure that it is a sound goal and you will achieve it?

When you’re making your new year's resolutions this week, why not use smart goals as a pattern to develop your plan?  A Smart Goal is an acronym for:

S-specific

M-measurable

A-attainable

R-realistic or relevant

T-timely

Let’s take a look at each of these sections.

S is for specific. A specific goal has a much greater chance of being accomplished than a general goal. Goals must be clear and explicit; specific goals will usually answer the five "W" questions:

What: What do I want to accomplish?

Why: Specific reasons, purpose or benefits of accomplishing the goal.

Who: Who is involved?

Where: Identify a location.

Which: Identify requirements and constraints.

M is for measurable. What good is a goal that you can't measure? When you measure your progress, you stay on track, reach your target dates, and experience the excitement of achievement which will motivate you on to a continued effort required to reach your goal. A measurable goal will usually answer questions such as:

How much?

How many?

How will I know when it is accomplished?

A is for attainable. When you identify goals that are most important to you, you begin to figure out ways you can make them come true. You develop the attitudes, abilities, skills, and financial capacity to reach them. Goals that are set too high or too low become meaningless, and you naturally come to ignore them. An attainable goal will usually answer the question:

How: How can the goal be accomplished?

R is for realistic or relevant. To be realistic, a goal must represent an objective toward which you are both willing and able to work. A goal can be both high and realistic; you are the only one who can decide just how high your goal should be. But be sure that every goal represents substantial progress.

A high goal is frequently easier to reach than a low one. Do you know why? Because a low goal exerts low motivational force and once again, you’ll lose interest. Some of the hardest jobs you ever accomplished actually seem easy simply because they were a labor of love. A relevant goal will usually answer the question:

Does this seem worthwhile?

T is for timely or time bound. A goal should be grounded within a time frame. With no time frame tied to it there’s no sense of urgency. If you want to lose 10 lbs., when do you want to lose it by? “Someday” won’t work. But if you anchor it within a timeframe, “by March 1, 2012”, then you’ve set your unconscious mind into motion to begin working on the goal.  A time-bound goal will usually answer the question:

When?

What can I do 6 months from now?

What can I do 6 weeks from now?

What can I do today?

T can also stand for Tangible. A goal is tangible when you can experience it with one of the senses, that is, taste, touch, smell, sight or hearing. When your goal is tangible you have a better chance of making it specific and measurable and thus attainable.

I wish you all the success in creating, executing and accomplishing your goals of 2012. I want you to live your life to the fullest. If you need or want more help, I am as near as the web or telephone. 

www.LifeCoachDoug.com or 678-793-5399

Keep striving for wellness.