Why New Year's Resolutions Have Made Us All Scaredy-Cats
After multiple years of setting New Year's Resolutions that never amounted to anything, we've become weary of setting goals because those quiet (and sometimes not so quiet) voices in our heads are saying:
"Why bother? You won't achieve your goals anyway!"
Most of us don't want to subject ourselves to more disappointment and failure, especially if we're talking about building a relationship with our stepkids, spending more time one-on-one with our partner, or just finding time for ourselves, to relax and enjoy that book we've been wanting to read for the past several months (notice, I'm not mentioning all those times we promised ourselves to walk just a mile or two, in order to get back in shape.)
We don't want to be disillusioned so we don't set goals at all, or set them with an "escape clause."
Setting goals is a powerful strategy for success in any area of your life.
I love the SMART goals acronym to help me set my goals. They are:
- Specific
- Measurable
- Achievable
- Realistic
- Timely
Here's another tip for you when you're contemplating setting some goals.
They are:
- Write them down ( I love using sticky notes for that)
- Make then realistic (will you really walk the Appalachian Trail if you've never walked a mile before?)
- Look at your goals every day (that's why I love my sticky notes. I can move them so that they are visible)
- See yourself actually doing whatever you want to achieve (think of the Olympians visualizing themselves winning that gold medal)
- Finally, take action and stay in action (you might want to call a buddy to help you stay accountable. Plus, it's a lot more fun taking action with a friend)
So, don't be a scaredy-cat.
You CAN achieve your goals if you remember the tips above. Try it and let me know in the comments below how you're doing. I'll be cheering you on.