With a New Year always comes a desire for a new you. Year after year we make the same old resolutions, we set the same goals and year after year it seems as if we end worse than when we started. For many this means that New Years resolutions are nothing more than hogwash and they refuse to even utter the phrase. For others it is a time of blind optimism, where resolutions are just as effective as wishing. If you, or I for that matter, want to achieve our dreams than we must set forth a set of goals to strive for. So here are some tips to help you make solid resolutions for 2015.
Set Goals That Are Specific
Every year I want to lose weight. This is a common goal for many of us but we often fail to make a dent in it. Why? Because this goal is a nebulous and vague. I lost two pounds this week, so that means I am done right? Most certainly not! If you have a goal that is ill-defined then you are setting yourself up for failure out of the gate. Be as specific as possible. Instead of saying you want to lose weight set a goal such as “I will lose ten pounds a month.” Why? Because the more specific your goal is the easier it is for the next tip.
Set Goals As A Series Of Actions
Once you have a specific goal you can figure out how you are going to achieve it. Lets stick with the example I used above of losing ten pounds a month. How will you lose that weight? Diet? Exercise? Which one? Will you run every day? Will you eat salads and oats? Will you lift weights? It is important to formulate a game plan of how you will achieve your goals. Without a plan most of us will just make things up as we go, pulled along by the latest weekly fad. Make a plan and stick to it.
Make Sure Your Goals Can Be Measured
Ok, so you have a goal, you have a course of action. Now what? Well you need to keep track of how you are doing. Last year when I was trying to lose weight I got into the habit of weighing myself every morning. I would then write my weight on the mirror in the bathroom so I would see it every time I went in there. There are lots of ways to track your goals. Maybe you want to lose the weight but what you want to keep track of is how far you can run. Whatever it is you want to achieve keep track of it. After all you can tell how far you’ve come if you don’t have a measuring stick.
It is important to have goal when going after any dream, be it weight loss or launching a new company. Without a specific goal in mind one can’t possibly pursue it to the best of their abilities. Without a course of action, you won’t know what to do. And without something to track your progress you won’t know if you are actually heading towards or away from where you want to be. This is the first step of a long journey. There will be ups and downs, there will be failures but at least with these tips you will know what you are getting into and how to adjust should things go wrong. Be positive! This is the start of a brand new year! Anything is possible so dream big and go for it!