It’s January 1st of a brand new year.
The motivation is sky high, the goals are being written, and the routines are being set! It’s the time of year where people truly do have every intention of accomplishing what they set out to do. So why is it, then, that when we fast forward a few weeks, most Americans’ goals or resolutions are long-gone and they find themselves right back into their well-known habits? The answer: high pressure and low preparation.
The “New Year” Pressure Resolution
There is something quite timely about the beginning of the year being the opportune time to start some new habits. However, a lot of people tend to treat the first few days of January as “all or nothing,” “do or die,” or with a need to “get it perfect.” There is so much pressure set during this time of the year that one unplanned or undesired move can throw you off track and in line at the nearest Krispy Kreme store. But here’s the truth: you can create a new goal or a new routine ANY day of the year because the magic of creating habits doesn’t happen on New Year’s Day. Rather, creating long-lasting habits happens in your mind and on your calendar, no matter what day of the year or month you choose.
So how do you set a successful goal? First, understand the difference between discipline and motivation. Second, take some time to create a certain type of goal.
Preparing To Meet A (SMART) Goal
Proper preparation towards a goal involves writing out a SMART goal plus creating a plan of action. Most people think about what they want, write it out, and call it a day without giving any real thought towards how they are going to approach the goal, let alone why. When we take the time to write out a goal and develop a plan, we significantly increase our chances of success.
SMART Goals (created by George Doran back in 1981) describe a well-established system to create goals. SMART Goals are ones that are …
- Specific: Making your goals narrow and focused ensures that you know what you are aiming for and where you are going.
- Measurable: Having a goal that can be measured (something checked off daily, doing something a certain number of days of the week, etc.) allows you to visually track and see your progress.
- Attainable: While you should always dream big and create bigger-than-life goals, having a goal, or sub-goals, that are attainable will allow you to avoid feeling overwhelmed and encourage you to keep working towards your goals and keep your confidence levels high along the way.
- Relevant: If the goal isn’t relevant to your life, there’s a good chance you won’t stick with it. Selecting a goal or habit that aligns with your values and objectives will increase the chances of meeting your goal because you have brought meaning or emotion into the equation – and that is what makes the biggest difference.
- Timely: Your goal should have an end date. To be clear, you can always create more goals or have multiple sub-goals under a larger, long-term goal. However, giving yourself a deadline that is far enough to give you sufficient time, yet close enough to still feel a sense of urgency, lights a little extra fire towards your effort and allows you to put an action plan on your calendar.
After your SMART goal is created, then the real work begins. Take time to ask yourself the following questions, and get some action steps and accountability on the calendar.
- What obstacles do I anticipate stopping me from achieving this goal? Are these obstacles inevitable or can they be avoided?
- What can I put in place to minimize the chances of experiencing these obstacles?
- What can I practice ahead of time so these obstacles do not affect me?
- What steps do I need to take to achieve this goal? Write them out and break them down into manageable sub-goals with deadlines in your calendar.
- Who can I tell my goals to and ask for accountability from? This could be a coach, family member, friend, or even an online support group. Ask to create a check-in system (weekly, monthly, etc.) so you can set these check-in appointments on your calendar.
While this may seem like a lot of work to make or create a change, Thomas Jefferson reminds us that “If you want something you’ve never had, you have to do something you’ve never done” – and that is not always an easy task. The good news is that once you get into the rhythm of creating goals (and smashing them!), you’ll be a goal-setting machine.
So remember, whether it’s a fresh week Monday, the 1st of the month, or a seemingly ordinary Thursday, making a different choice or creating a habit can be done at any moment – because it’s the moment YOU decide to do something different. So on the 1st of 2022 and beyond – Happy New Year, The Knockturnal fam! Now let’s crush these goals!
