Picture this. You get into your car, turn on the ignition and set up your GPS, only to never punch in a final destination. How do you think this scenario would pan out? You would probably end up driving around for a while, not really sure where you’re going exactly, getting confused and frustrated along the way. Maybe you never even leave in the first place! This is what life can be like without having a clear goal put in place. A goal is your final destination point, something that provides you with a clear sense of direction and gives your life a clearer sense of purpose.

One of the most common goals that people set around this time of year are New Year’s resolutions. These are a chance for many people to hit the ground running as they look to better themselves in different areas of their lives.

The resolution could be to cut out sugary foods such as candy and ice cream from their diet. Or it could be to start going on 6am jogs before work. While the intentions of a New Year’s resolution are good, many people struggle to make it through the first couple of weeks before losing all motivation. If you are reading this and find that this is resonates with you, I have some good news. Failing to stick to a New Year’s resolution has very little to do with your mental strength or willpower, and more to do with the resolution itself.

In order to understand where I am going with this, we have to first understand how to become a better goal setter. A good method that I like to use when setting a new goal is to follow the S.M.A.R.T principle. When broken down using this format, your new goal should be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-based. Over the course of this article, I am going to dive into each of these sections and provide you with the tools you need to become a SMART goal setter!

Specific

When setting a goal for yourself, it has to be specific to you and what you want to achieve in life. Furthermore, you need to be very clear about what your goal is and why you want to set that for goal for yourself. Simply saying “I want to lose weight” is far too vague. However, saying that “I want to lose weight so that I can feel more confident in myself and reduce my risk of health issues” is a lot more specific and gets to the root cause of why you want to make changes in your life.

If you play a sport and you are looking to set a SMART goal for yourself, this same rule applies. Wanting to become a better volleyball player is not a specific goal, but improving your vertical jump so that you can be a more effective hitter certainly is. Not only does this goal mention a specific physical trait (jumping) that you want to improve, but it is also an important skill to have if you want to be successful at that position.

Measurable

If your goal isn’t measurable, it’s hard to really know if you’re moving in the right direction or if you’ve ever successfully achieved it. If your goal is simply to become a better runner or a more skilful soccer player, how will you really know if you’ve succeeded in doing so? However, if you set a goal of improving your 5k time or scoring 10 goals next season, you now have a clear target that you can work towards. Having a numerical value which tells you that you are getting better can also provide you with a huge confidence boost. I can personally say that there is no better motivator than knocking a few seconds off your personal best run time or adding 10lbs to your bench press max. These little victories all add up in the long run to reaching your overall goal and keep you feeling positive throughout the process.

Achievable

This is the main reason why most New Year’s resolutions end up failing before you even reach February. Setting lofty goals for yourself may seem like a great idea at the time, but will only leave you feeling deflated if they aren’t realistically achievable. For example, wanting to work out at 5am multiple days a week is going to be extremely difficult to maintain if you are bartending until midnight or a mother of 3 young children. Your lifestyle stressors should not be an excuse to not set a goal for yourself, but you should be keep them in mind if you want your goal to be realistic.

The best piece of advice I can give when trying to set an achievable goal is that you’re not trying to conquer the world overnight! Success in many aspects of life is the product of consistency over a long period of time. Do not expect to get underneath a barbell for the first time and squat 400lbs within a few months. That is a goal that takes many years to achieve and is not conducive to your current ability level. Try to set smaller targets for yourself that are easier to achieve and then continue to build upon them over time.

Relevant

Your goal should be relevant to you and there must be a clear purpose for why you want to achieve it. In the period of time that you work towards your new goal, you will hit plateaus and have days where you lack motivation. During these moments, it is often the underlying purpose behind your goal that helps keep you accountable for your actions and decisions. Try to avoid setting a goal for the approval of others (i.e. getting likes on Instagram or making your significant other happy). If your goal doesn’t have any significant meaning to you, it will be so much easier to skip workouts or chose convenient fast food over cooking a healthy meal.

Time-Based

As the old saying goes, “Rome wasn’t built in a day”. In order to successfully achieve your goal, you have to be patient and give yourself a realistic amount of time to achieve it. While many diet fads and supplements will offer false promises of immediate results, the truth is that significant changes to your body composition and athletic performance take time to achieve. By giving yourself a short window of opportunity to reach your goal, you are only setting yourself up for disappointment.

Conclusion

With the S.M.A.R.T strategy at your disposal, you can ditch your 2020 New Year’s resolution and start the year off with a goal that will help to add value to your life, rather than take things away. Whatever goal you choose to set for yourself, remember that the final destination is great, but the process of reaching it is way more important. Embrace the setbacks, cherish the little victories and enjoy the journey!

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