Have a SMART New Year

The festivities are over, the countdown to midnight seems long gone and the talk of resolutions is on everyones lips.

I read today that only 8% of people follow through with their new years resolutions - an unsurprising figure considering the cocktail drinking photos uploaded by some friends today who vowed to take part in 'Dry January'. Its the 2nd of December...I didn't think they would crack that early.

But why do people fail? Often it is not to do with will power or forgetfulness, it is to do with the nature of the resolution. Goal setting in itself can be a challenge. Studying marketing, objective setting is discussed regularly and the mnemonic 'SMART' is often used to set the criteria of the goal.

Take the common example of "I'm going to get in better shape this year"

Does it meet the SMART criteria?

Specific - A resolution should be based on a specific change that you wish to make. Nothing too big or too small but in stead of a whole life overhaul where you hope to find your soul mate, lose weight and change your career, focus on one area that you want to improve.

Measurable - You should be able to quantify your progress - what does getting in better shape mean and how will you measure it? Setting a goal body fat percentage is a great way to analyse the progress you make.

Attainable - There is no point saying you're going to 'go to the gym every day' if you are not prepared to dramatically change your lifestyle. Setting a realistic or smaller goal will dramatically improve your chances of achieving it and that positivity can then be used to set the next one.

Relevant - Will achieving your goal make you happy? Does it fit into the bigger picture?

Timebound - Set a goal within a time frame. "By March I will..." Then, once you reach the end of the time frame you can revaluate the goal, measure how far you have come, create a new goal and new time frame in order to continue the progress. 8-10 weeks plans are a great way to get into good routines and keep things fresh.

So break it down into smaller, measurable and achievable goals. Progress is motivating and you are much more likely to achieve your overall goal if you have little boxes to tick off on the way. 

There are 363 days left of 2014. 

That is 363 opportunities.

"Leave no opportunity behind."

Don't waste another day talking about what you want to achieve, just go and start achieving it.

And if motivation is still escaping you, this might help...

Post by Rick Hall.

"Make that dream a reality". 

Be SMART