How To Avoid The Biggest Mistake You Could Make This New Year
I read somewhere that 92% of all New Year’s Resolutions fail. Whether that’s entirely accurate, we all know that most of us don’t keep our well-intended goals while we welcome sleep-deprived in the new year. We have every intention of maintaining the resolutions or goals. We want to eat better, work less, socialize more, and exercise daily. But the minute life returns to normal, we fall right back into the same habits.
Why? Because it’s easy. And sometimes it is just easier to do what we have always done rather than work at something new. Don’t worry. No one is judging you. Because we all do it. But our goals don’t just happen by accident. You don’t wake up one morning suddenly having lost weight. You didn’t accidentally, with no effort, invest in new and beneficial relationships. It takes a bit of work.
But you knew that already. But did you know that 92% of all resolutions fail largely because those said goals weren’t specific enough, measurable enough, realistic, or even achievable in any way?
Let me explain.
Your Goals Should Be Specific
I mean, like, really specific if you want to eat healthier, great. How is that going to happen? What are you going to eat? What are you going to avoid? Eating healthier is far too vague. Vowing to get in shape won’t end in the results you were hoping for. Nail down what those specifics are going to look like. When you think you have it, see if you can try and get even more specific.
Example: I will exercise 3 times a week at 7 am, at the gym on the corner, doing that great routine my doctor suggested.
Click Here to Learn More About Setting Specific Goals
You Should Be Able To Measure Your Goal
But goals are not just about a wish floating out in space and time. They need to be measurable. In other words, how do you know you are successful? What are your benchmarks or mile markers for progress? So let’s revisit the example above. If you’re exercising three times a week, you need a means to measuring not just attendance (you can cross out dates on a calendar), but you should also track how you felt and how long you survived. You should track weights, steps, miles, etc. Any metric you can think of is helpful.
Measurable goals help us see little wins along the way. Those little wins will add up to huge dividends as time goes by.
Be Honest. Is Your Goal Really Achievable?
No matter who you are or how good at setting and achieving goals you may be, all of us will fall victim to the siren song of good intentions laced with alcohol and sleep deprivation. At a midnight party celebrating with friends, we feel like the invincible college students we once were. That is, until our regular lives send us crashing back to reality.
So be honest with yourself. Perhaps wait until the morning to really consider and think through your goals. Ask a spouse, parent, or close friend what they think. If your goal is too much, scale it back. Don’t expect yourself to exercise 7 days a week for 3 hours.
They Should Be Realistic
Determining if your goal is realistic is different than asking if it is achievable. Ask yourself if you have the ability, time, and resources to accomplish your goal. Is it the right time? Perhaps it’s unrealistic to set a goal of running a marathon when you have a young family, or maybe you need to think carefully through your dream of becoming a millionaire until you have dug yourself out of debt.
Being realistic is not meant to be a downer, naysayer, or pessimistic. But to ensure that your goals—although achievable—are also realistic.
Your Goals Should Be Time Bound
This one is simple. Give yourself not just a time limit but time parameters—that are reasonable. How long do you expect it to take to reach your goal? Create smaller goals in shorter periods and stick to them.
Now You’re Ready
Setting the right goals can improve your confidence, character, and overall mental health. But setting unreachable, overly lofty goals can leave you more depressed, critical of yourself, and even anxious. So put your New Years’ Resolutions and those goals you’ve always wanted to accomplish. But use this simple formula to ensure those goals are done wisely.
