It's hard to believe that we are already a quarter of the way through 2024. Time sure flies when we are having fun (or struggling to get it all done). More often than not, by this time of the year those New Year's Resolutions have long been forgotten. Save money? Have you seen the economy. Lose weight? I'll start next week. Take a vacation? I don't even have time to take a bath.
Does any of that sound familiar? For your sake, I hope not. The reality is, the most recent statistics suggest that less than 40 percent of people achieve their resolution. I do believe that 40 percent is being generous. The statistics are more likey around a 25 percent success rate. Eww, look at me being a negative Nancy and bringing in the doom and gloom. That is definitely not my intention at all.
My intention here is to give a gentle reminder. It is only April. We have plenty of time to buckle down and achieve our goals, but we have to be SMART about it. We can do that by rethinking our goals and making them SMART goals. SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. Let's go ahead and break that down a little more.
Specific- What needs to be accomplished? What steps do I need to take to achieve it? A few examples would be: I want to lose weight. I want to grow my business by gaining clients. I want to save for my wedding.
Measurable- Give the goal a way to track your progress. I want to lose 5 pounds. I want to grow my business by gaining 10 new clients. I want to save $5,000 for my wedding.
Achievable- Goals should be realistic. So ask yourself if this is something that you can reasonably accomplish. 5 pounds seems reasonable if the timeline is a month or more. 10 new clients seems achievable where as 100 may not have.
Relevant- Is the goal really relevant to your life. If it isn't, you're better off redirecting your energy to something that is.
Time-bound- Setting a deadline for when you will measure your success on the goal is a great way to keep you focused. It's really easy to keep saying you'll start tomorrow if there isn't a looming deadline.
So your goals should start to sound like this. "I want to lose 5 pounds by May 30th." "I want to gain 10 new clients by the end of July." I want to save $5,000 towards me wedding in November."
Another very important aspect of achieving your goals is MINDSET! Henry Ford said it best when he said, "Whether you think you can or think you can't, you're right." So set your intention and get solid in your mindset. YES. YOU. CAN.
So go get a sheet of paper and write down your goals. Use the SMART goal setting method. For each goal write down actionable steps you need to take to achieve these goals in the timeframe given. Also, for each goal, write down an affirmation specific to the goal. Example: "I can lose 5 pounds by May 30th." Or, "I will exercise 3 times a week for the next 6 weeks to help me achieve my 5 pound weightloss." Whatever works for you! Goals are personal!
Comment below and let me know what goals you will be working on.
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