I read recently that without goals for the new year, instead of a new year, we will simply have another year. That made a lot of sense to me. If we want to make things better and see growth, either in our personal lives or in our professional lives, we have to do something different than what we’re already doing. We need to set New Year’s goals that work. Now that January is most of the way through, many of those who made New Year’s resolutions have probably abandoned them by now. There’s even a Quitter’s Day. This year it was on January 10th. That’s because more than half of people who set New Year’s resolutions abandon them by that date. Don’t let that discourage you though, resolutions and goal setting can be very beneficial.

I like the idea of starting off the new year with some general direction or intention, even if not fully-formed goals or resolutions. Honestly though, I haven’t gotten to it yet. But that’s ok. January 1st can seem like a blank slate, but there’s nothing magical about that date. Many of us are still in celebration mode. For many, school is still out, and real life hasn’t resumed yet after the holidays. That makes it easy to give up before we’ve even begun.

January 1st may not be the best day to start resolutions, however positive change begins the moment you decide it will. So here is some motivation to set some new goals for this year or get back on board with those resolutions that may have fallen by the wayside. If your resolutions are still going strong, good for you. Chances are good that you will succeed. Go you!

Why Set Goals?

The way I see it, dreams are a destination and goals are the roadmap. Dreams give us a clear picture of where we want to be in an area of our lives, and the more detailed the picture, the more likely we will get there. Having a clear picture of where we want to go enables our brains at a subconscious level to take steps in that direction. I think it’s fantastic that our brains can do that. It isn’t all it takes though. Breaking the dream down into manageable goals lets us know the steps we need to take, and having those steps clearly laid out focuses our actions. That’s why I believe goals are the roadmap to achieving our dreams. There is definitely a place for wishing and hoping and thinking and praying, but progress happens when we start doing.

How to Set Goals

A common method for setting goals is the SMART method. This means that they are:

Specific
Measurable
Achievable
Realistic, and
Time-bound

A goal such as “get in shape” is vague and hard to measure. Goals such as achieving a certain BMI, being able to lift a certain amount of weight, or running a certain distance in a given time are much clearer. That makes it easier to see progress and know when you succeeded.

After setting a clear goal, the next step is to write it down. Then break it down into small, manageable steps. Finally, do the steps. It feels great to check them off because you can see progress. You can even reward yourself along the way!

Goals can be big or small, personal or professional or whatever you want. They are a roadmap to the things that matter to you. That’s another important point. Setting new year’s resolutions because you “have to” or “should” is a recipe for failure. If this process is done under pressure, you won’t truly own it, and it won’t be enough to motivate you. Your goals should feel possible – and exciting!

I hope you have a great year – one you can look back on and see what you’ve achieved and feel proud. While there are always circumstances we can’t control, we can direct the course of our lives. Go for it! I’m behind you.