Happy New Year and welcome to Day 1 of 31 Days to a Healthier You! Today we’re starting off by setting goals.
Let’s unleash the power of goal setting!
Did you know that only 3% of people in the US set goals, and that they are among the wealthiest folks in the nation?! If you want to accomplish something, you can do it! But you must know where you want to go, have a plan to get there, and monitor your progress along the way.
It’s time to think about our goals, and to write them down. What are your goals? Pick up a pen and a piece of paper and jot down the goals you’d like to reach. Don’t worry I’ll wait….
Done? Ok, now look at each goal and evaluate it as you read this article. Make any changes necessary to ensure that your goals meet the criteria for SMART goals.
The best goals are smart goals — well, actually SMART goals is more like it. SMART is a handy acronym for the five characteristics of well-designed goals. SMART goals are:
S = Specific
M = Measurable
A = Attainable
R = Realistic
T = Timely
SPECIFIC:
Are your goals straightforward and emphasize what you would like to reach? Do they answer the what, why and how? WHAT are you going to do? Use action words! WHY is this important to do at this time? What do you want to ultimately accomplish? HOW are you going to do it? (By…) For example, a general goal would be, “Get in shape.” But a specific goal would say, “Join a running club and run 3 days a week.”
MEASUREABLE:
Do your goals establish concrete criteria for measuring progress? When you measure your progress, you stay on track, reach your target dates, and experience the exhilaration of achievement that spurs you on to continued effort required to reach your goals.
To determine if your goal is measurable, ask questions such as……How much? How many? How will I know when it is accomplished? Some ways to measure progress are: Time, Distance, Weight, # of runs, speed, # of repeats etc…
ATTAINABLE:
When you identify goals that are most important to you, you begin to figure out ways you can make them come true. Goals you set which are too far out of your reach, you probably won’t commit to doing. Although you may start with the best of intentions, the knowledge that it’s too much for you means your subconscious will keep reminding you of this fact and will stop you from even giving it your best. A goal needs to stretch you slightly so you feel you can do it and it will need a real commitment from you.
REALISTIC:
This is not a synonym for “easy.” Realistic, in this case, means “do-able”. Devise a plan or a way of getting there which makes the goal realistic. The goal needs to be realistic for you and where you are at the moment. Be sure to set goals that you can attain with some effort! Too difficult and you set the stage for failure, but too low and you’ll have difficulty sticking to your plan as the goal will not be a good motivator.
Set the bar high enough for a satisfying achievement!
TIMELY:
Set a timeframe for the goal: for next week, in three months…. Putting an end point on your goal gives you a clear target to work towards. If you don’t set a time, the commitment is too vague. It tends not to happen because you feel you can start at any time. Without a time limit, there’s no urgency to start taking action NOW.
Time must also be measurable, attainable and realistic.
So what are my SMART goals? I knew you would ask that 
Here are my goals:
(sorry, you’ll have to use the scroll bars to see the whole sheet)
Day 1 challenge:
Use this downloadable excel worksheet to set your three SMART goals.(If you don’t have excel, you can download the document, then upload it to Google docs).
QUESTION/SHARING: What will you accomplish this year? How will you accomplish them?
PS – you can join the 31 Days to a Healthier You challenge anytime!
Got up, started working out, got a call to pick up my daughter at work…went back to working out…had to take a phone call from one of my kids’ doctors…went back to working out. Finally finished. Not an easy start to my new commitment!!!
I’m working on my SMART goals now but I couldn’t find yours on the spread sheet. Any thoughts?
Happy New Year, and thanks for the motivation!
Wow! That’s great perseverance – good job!
What are your goals for 2012?
Janice´s last post ..Getting Ready for Your Healthiest Year Ever!
Whoops! Found your goals! Great ones – good luck!
love your spreadsheet, that is awesome! i am filling mine out now!
Courtney´s last post ..Happy Twenty Twelve!!
Thanks & thanks for following along!
Janice´s last post ..Taking The Chill Out of Your Winter Run
THANK YOU! Done…and I’m so excited to get this journey started….
Happy New Year!
amanda´s last post ..My 2012 Goals
Did mine
Lia´s last post ..31 Days To A Healthier You – Day 1
Great goals Lia!
Janice´s last post ..31 Days to Your Healthiest Year Ever!
Great post on how to set goals and the intricate visuals used to help us along.
Thanks Missy!
Janice´s last post ..Now I Remember Why I Run at Lunch
[...] Create a plan for each of the SMART goals we set yesterday. [...]
ahh nice, will do it
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[...] Having SMART goals: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Timely [...]
[...] // Share Hi guys! Welcome to Day 3 of your healthiest year ever! Now that we’ve gotten the goal setting and planning business taken care of we can move into the fun [...]
Using the SMART goal system really works to help you achieve something that you want. One thing you can add to this is to find someone who can help you create a SMART goal when you aren’t able to do it yourself.
I always wanted to run, but I was never able to figure out how to do it successfully. So I joined a running club which offered a step-by-step program. Their goal was to get us to be able to run 20 minutes straight within 8 weeks. (With your running example, this might seem like no big deal, but it was certainly a big deal for me.)
So I followed their plan of alternating walking and running a specific number of times per week. Each week they added more time running and less time walking. By the end of 8 weeks, I was able to run for 20 minutes straight.
Even with a SMART goal, it can still be very challenging to accomplish. The first few weeks I started running I thought my lungs would burst. Then I felt that my legs would fall off. But I kept on going because I knew I had a goal to aim for. I also said many positive affirmations along the way to keep me motivated.
Now, 8 years later, I am a runner. I don’t compete, but I do run several times each week (for longer than 20 minutes). I wasn’t able to achieve my goal myself, but I was able to do it with some help from my friends.
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[...] Having SMART goals: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Timely [...]
Once my leg is healthy, I am going to work in small 30 day intervals, it makes it seem so much more attainable… Happy New Year… I am looking forward to getting healthy this year:)
Once my leg is healthy, I am going to work in small 30 day intervals, it makes it seem so much more attainable… Happy New Year… I am looking forward to getting healthy this year:)
I set out my goals yesterday. I wasn’t actually following the SMART goal outline, but they all follow the rules I believe. http://wisdomcouragepower.blogspot.ca/2013/01/goals-for-2013.html
I set out my goals yesterday. I wasn’t actually following the SMART goal outline, but they all follow the rules I believe. http://wisdomcouragepower.blogspot.ca/2013/01/goals-for-2013.html
[...] Create a plan for the SMART goals we set yesterday. [...]
[...] Day 1: Setting SMART Goals [...]