I'm in the minority, I know. Statistics say that less than half of Americans are making resolutions. I know it's corny but I still do. I make them every year, but I don't call them resolutions. I call them goals. What's the difference you ask? Aren't they just words? True, but words have power. A resolution is wishful thinking. It's a notion we should make a change but the word resolution implies that we aren't really serious about it. The word resolution implies that we have no intention of following through. A goal is different, at least it is to me, a goal has a plan. A goal has an intention. A goal has steps and a deadline. It is those things that take a goal from the realm of wishful thinking to the world of possibilities.
I achieve most of my goals and I've taken my goal strategy and distilled it into a 2-page worksheet. I do one for each goal. You can download one of my goal sheets here.
My goal sheet is set up to answer a number of questions:
What is your goal? Exactly what do you want. You don't want to lose weight. You want to lose 50 pounds. You don't want 'a job'. You want a job in a specific field making a specific amount of money. You don't want more time with your partner. You want two date nights a month.
Why is this goal important to you? The more whys you have the better off you are. Leave off the 'shoulds' and what others think. Because you should stop smoking isn't the same as wanting to stop smoking. Your sister wanting you to be more organized, isn't the same as you wanting to be more organized. List the reasons why this goal matters to you.
Who's on your team? Who can you turn to for support, advice or assistance? Who will you call when you are discouraged? Who will hold you accountable? Who has the information you need to succeed?
What is your back-up plan? Everyone falls off the wagon. You roll over and go back to sleep when you should have worked out. You eat the big cheeseburger and fries instead of salad. Setbacks are part of success, so what will you do to get back on track.
If you want to create some successful goals, download the goal worksheet and set up one for each of your goals (no more than 3 ... more on that next week).
2 comments:
I don’t set resolutions. I set goals, but I don’t necessarily use the New Year as a starting point for me… Whatever works for each one of us. I do, however, believe in putting goals on paper because w/out an outline, you have a dream… & some can keep dreaming while I’m making things happen! Good luck to you and your set of goals. This may help others, thanks for sharing!
Very true Miss Sara. You can set goals at any time and I actually set them at New Year's and throughout the year as well. Whenever you do it, I agree it makes a goal seem more 'real' when you commit them to paper.
Thanks for stopping by!
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