As 2015 comes to a close, let’s go into 2016 with big goals and healthy minds! Succeed this new year by using these 4 key things when setting your goals:
1. Make it realistic. First and foremost, the goal you’re looking to get to must be something that’s actually within reach. If you know you can never say “no” to a cookie, then perhaps it’s not realistic to say that in 2016 you’re not going to eat any cookies. Instead, put smaller more attainable steps in line to get you to the ultimate goal. Following this same cookie example, it would be more realistic to say you’re going to start with just 1 cookie per week. Then 1 cookie per month, then 1 cookie per special event, and lastly, no cookies ever! (This would be a sad goal since cookies are awesome, but just using it for example’s sake).
2. Write it down. This is the secret sauce! You may think you don’t need to do this because you’ll be fine with just having it in your head. Research has shown that there is something about physically writing things with your actual hand on an actual piece of paper that processes differently in your brain. In today’s world of texting and typing, this is rarely something we ever do. Set your realistic plan to get to your goal, and WRITE it somewhere you can look at every day.
3. Have accountability. Really put some thought into who you choose for this. Who can you trust to give you the hard truth when you need it? Who is someone that is not going to let you fail. Someone who can guide you in love, but still really guide you and not just be fluffing your skirt. Family, friends, WOD buddies, coaches, find someone you come into contact with often and ask them to have your back. Tell them your goal and your plan, then ask them to be encouraging and strong with you when you need it.
4. Have an end date. Know your timeline, have your plan for each step of the way, and have an actual date marked on your calendar that you plan to have achieved your goal by. This is a huge reason that people fail to reach their goals. They keep their timeline vague and their goal in their mind, like “I want to lose 10lbs soon sometime by summer” and then all of the sudden it’s summer and you’re exactly where you’ve been. Set a date, mark it, and tell your accountability partner. Then you’ll be well on your way to losing that weight, making those gains, learning that skill, whatever your 2016 goals are!
