“Happy New Year! Are you making any resolutions?”
You have likely heard this a few times this week! Resolutions are as synonymous with New Years as fireworks, and the topic is bound to come up in most circles. Perhaps you enjoy this opportunity to set a new long-term goal for yourself, and look forward to the effort required to see it through. Maybe you roll your eyes at the question, wondering why you would bother to make a resolution at all. And maybe you fall somewhere in between, with even just a small part of you wanting to take part in the opportunity to set a new goal for yourself.
Setting goals is important in life. When you set a goal, you are considering what is important to you. You are imagining how you would like your life to look, and determining what action will be necessary to realize that reality. It may also be that you have identified a shortcoming within yourself, with the worthy intention of self-improvement. Goals can look like anything – most conversations on the topic happen in the workplace, but you can set personal goals in a variety of ways. You can even focus on social or spiritual goals. They don’t have to be boring or difficult! You can set a goal to try a new food, learn a new hobby, or spend time with loved ones. Imagine if you set a goal to practice self-care: what would you resolve to do, and is that something you would enjoy?
Once you decide on a goal, the way you set it up matters. Many goals that do not get accomplished often lack a critical element outlined by the ubiquitous SMART acronym – specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and timely. The distinction is intuitive if you consider some examples. If someone had a general goal to “get in better shape” or “be a better friend,” they would not be successful. How would they know when the goal was achieved? Alternatively, consider if someone made a plan to go to an exercise class once a week, or committed to make plans with a friend on the first Sunday of each month. These goals would have the desired outcome, but the latter examples are more likely to happen and will give a much more satisfying sense of accomplishment when completed.
Another pitfall in reaching goals is maintaining focus and effort to see it through long-term. Life is busy, and your goal can’t be in the forefront of your mind at all times. Setting calendar reminders, writing your goal on a sticky note in an often viewed place, or having an accountability buddy may be helpful strategies to keep up the work towards your goal. Another important aspect is to create short-term deadlines for your goal. Think of a marathon runner in training; they do not go for a jog once or twice before running 42 kilometers all at once. They have a specific schedule of practice with clear benchmarks to hit over time, leading up to their ultimate goal. Setting these benchmarks for your own goals gives a sense of accomplishment as you achieve each step, and makes each small effort seem attainable compared to the daunting final outcome.
The other big obstacle is planning ahead for days when you do not succeed. If you make a goal to cut cookies from your diet, what would happen if you ate one? Many of us would get very frustrated with ourselves for not sticking to our goal. We may even catastrophize and feel like a failure, and abandon the goal completely. This does not have to happen if we give ourselves the grace of being human. We may wish we could be perfect all the time, but this is not anyone’s reality. Try to maintain the attitude that success looks like not giving up on your effort, and you don’t need a flawless score for that effort to mean something. Think of failure as a gift, because it gives you a chance to learn.
If you made a resolution this New Year, set yourself up for success! Write down your SMART goal, decide what steps are needed to see it through, and balance your ambition with patience for the days when you stumble. If you do not like making resolutions, that’s okay too! Goals can be very personal. You will only be successful in meeting your goals when they carry meaning to you, and your effort is driven by authentic motivation. The desire to set a goal might strike during a chance of season, or even a change in your situation. But even if you aren’t a resolutions person, find a way to set ambitions that work for you. Goals are how we learn, grow, and flourish!