Well friends, it’s that time of year again, the END! I hope your holidays were filled with family, friends, fun and festivities, but now it’s time to crack down and decide what those New Year’s Resolutions are going to be. Should we work on weight loss? Or maybe saving money? No matter what your hopes are for the New Year, here are some tips to making those resolutions practical and achievable!
- Make it a goal YOU want. That’s right. Many times, resolutions are picked based on what we feel others would want for us or what society feels are good resolutions. Do you really want to eat better, or do you feel it’s just something you should do? Do you really want to work out first thing in the morning or is this something your friend suggested because that’s what they do? If the goal is not your own, it will be much harder for you to follow through. Take some time to truly establish what it is YOU want and go from there.
- Make your goal tangible. So, many times we get caught making goals that are too vague in nature. For example, I would love to make a point to get better sleep, but what am I actually going to do to make this happen? What does better sleep even mean? For some it could be getting a certain number of hours of sleep and some it may consist of less disruption. So, a better, more tangible goal will be that I will work on getting seven hours of sleep a night a minimum of five nights a week. Why five nights? I’ll explain in a minute…
- Break that goal down! If the goal is too big, it can be very difficult to know where to start so it’s important to break it down into smaller, more achievable parts. For example, do you want to improve time spent with friends? Great! How are you going to do that? Here are some examples of more concrete goals/objectives that will help you reach the bigger goal.
- Reach out to friend(s) to determine availability/interest in getting together more often.
- Establish mutual interests amongst friends that everyone is willing to engage in together.
- Establish a set plan with friends on how/when to spend time together (ex. The first Sunday of the month is Movie Night at 5pm or Bowling Night is every Wednesday at 7pm.
- Make the goal achievable! Alright, remember when I said I would explain why I broke down the above sleep goal? The reason being is that you should always start small and work your way up. If you establish a goal that is too high, it more likely you won’t achieve it and you will become discouraged. Allow yourself time to build up to the ultimate goal. Remember, nobody can win a triathlon without practice, practice, practice! Set smaller goals and once you are consistent in those, feel free to push a bit more.
- Track your progress! For some reason, writing down your goals and your progress has a way of holding us a bit more accountable than if we just “think” about it. According to research, writing down your goals increases motivation, narrows your focus, and provides excitement in the task at hand. Additionally, you are far more likely to achieve your goals when the goal is written.
Alright my friends, let’s get out that pen and paper so we can start working towards those New Year’s goals you have! I know I will be working on mine and I would LOVE to hear your goals! Until then, stay safe, my friends, and have a very Happy New Year!
Katrina Norris
QI Specialist
