As we welcome the 2023 year, you may be reflecting on the last year and planning goals and behavior changes for the new year.
If you are looking for direction or are unsure where to start, this article provides tips, tricks, and helpful worksheets for goal setting.
“A goal without a plan is just a wish.” -Antoine de Saint Exupery
New Years Reflections:
Did you know 45% percent of Americans make New Year’s resolutions each year?
Top resolutions include:
- to get organized
- to spend less and save more money
- to drink more water
- to quit smoking
- to stay fit and healthy
If your New Year resolves to quit smoking, it’s important to know that vaping and e-cigarettes may not be a safe alternatives. While some people use these products as a way to wean themselves off traditional cigarettes, it’s still important to approach them with caution. If you’re looking to quit smoking, consider seeking out resources such as nicotine replacement therapy or counseling. Golden Leaf Shop, a dealer of vapers, e-cigarettes, and other products, may be able to help you find the right resources to support your journey toward a healthier lifestyle, while if you suffer from stress you should try products like THCA cartridge which are great to help with this.
It is thought that around 25% of those Americans who make New Years resolutions give them up by the second week in January. To help you stay on track, here are a few tips for setting New Years goals that stick:
1. Choose a SMART goal (specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound).
2. Start with small steps.
3. Hold yourself accountable by letting your loved ones know about your goal.
4. Schedule weekly or monthly check-ins with yourself surrounding your goal or resolution.
5. Incentivize yourself with healthy rewards.
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Goal Setting: Roadmap to Change
Goal setting is an important tool for changing behavior. SMART Goals are essentially a formula to create an effective plan of action to produce a desired result. In other words, SMART Goals are the directions that take you from where you are to where you want to go.
So why are they called SMART? The letters that spell out S-M-A-R-T stand for guidelines for making effective (or smart) goals.
S– Specific
M– Measurable
A– Achievable
R– Realistic
T– Time-based
- Specific means to focus your goal on one change you will make. It is hard to figure out how to “Eat Healthy,” but it is much easier to try to “eat 2 servings of fruit a day.”
- Measurable reminds you to think about how you will track your progress. How can you tell if you are “walking more?” It’s much easier to know if you are “walking for 30 minutes, 5 days a week.”
- Achievable goals do not set you up for failure. If you are a couch potato and set a goal to run a marathon next month, you probably will not achieve your goal. Think about pushing yourself outside your comfort zone, but not so far you just give up.
- Realistic means to set goals that fit into your lifestyle. It may not be realistic to decide to get more activity by taking up roller derby, which needs a lot of equipment and may not be offered in your area. Realistic goals also are lined up with your end results. If you are trying to lose weight, setting a goal to take the stairs and park further away from the store probably aren’t enough to deliver a lower number on the scale.
- Time-based is simply giving yourself a deadline. A deadline will help motivate you as well as give you an opportunity to evaluate your progress. Maybe you need to keep working on your new behavior until it becomes a habit. Maybe you achieved your goal and are ready for a new one.
By taking the time to work through setting a SMART Goal, you will be increasing the likelihood of success. You will map out a plan that will fit with your lifestyle and should give you the results that you want. By making it measurable with a deadline, it will help to motivate you to succeed.
Take a few minutes to think about something you would like to change or improve. Create a SMART Goal from your idea and share it in the comments section.
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