Happy New Year!

Normally around this time of the year everyone starts making new years resolutions i.e. to lose weight, to give up smoking etc. You normally hear phrases such as "This year is going to be my year" or "This year I am going to change and become a different person". The reality is that this happens every new year. There is always a big hype where people are adamant about making changes and are really motivated. However this dies down around February where people seem to forget about their goals and go back to their old habits, therefore not achieving their goals, and when it comes to December the whole process starts again.


This is not a useful tactic at all, it is just a waste of time.  I admit I used to do that myself. I think the problem is that many people do not set their goals properly and end up being unmotivated,  once  this happens you are unlikely to achieve the goals that you set out to accomplish.


There is a useful way of setting goals using the mnemonic SMART 


Specific - you need to specify exactly what you want to achieve, do not make vague goals like "i want to lose weight" be specific i.e I want to lose 1 stone


Measurable - you have to be able to quantify your goal so you can easily keep track of your progress. For example if your goal is to read more books say something like "i will read 3 books a week"


Attainable - When you decide on what your goals are you need to figure out how you are going to achieve them. You need to create goals that are actually attainable and not too far out of your reach. For example if your goal was to learn a new language giving yourself a week to do so is not wise but giving yourself a year is much more achievable. 

Realistic - Your goals need to be realistic. Don't say for example that you are going to lose 10 stones in 10 days because it is very unrealistic. Yes you can have ambitious goals but make sure it is something that you know you can achieve.


Time - It is good to give yourself an appropriate deadline in which to accomplish your goals. This allows you to work towards something and focus on completing it before a specific time. This will encourage you to achieve your goals otherwise if there is no deadline you won't feel the need to accomplish the goal.


Remember that you need patience and persistence to achieve your goals. Don't try and achieve too much quickly or you will get discouraged. You need to keep at it even if things don't go well keep going on. Some of the most successful people failed many times before they were able to achieve what they wanted. One quote I like is "Fear of failure becomes fear of success for those who never try anything new". Don't allow fear, procrastination, laziness, other people's opinions stop you from achieving what you want to in life. Be the best you, you can be and everyday is a new day to work on your goals you don't need to wait till Janauary 1st before you make changes.

Happy New Year to you all and good luck with achieving all of your goals!


Written by Dinah