As babies learn to walk, they don't just get up and run. Instead, they take one step at a time as they learn to balance and achieve their new way of life. In the same way, we need to achieve goals by taking them one step at a time.
As a kid, one of the assignments I would have on the first day of the new year in school would be to make New Year's resolutions. Because I didn't have much to improve on in my life, I made silly ones like watching less TV and reading more books. However, as I grew older, I realized it was important to make New Year's resolutions because it helped me improve my life. As a goal-oriented, proactive person, I liked the idea of setting goals and working to achieve them. However, sometimes my goals had setbacks that didn't allow me to achieve them. For example, I wanted to save a certain amount of money by year's end. However, a health crisis (and medical bills) deterred me from achieving that goal. Because of this, some years I didn't want to make goals for fear I would not keep them. Over the years, I have learned that making goals that last and that I can stick to is more satisfying than not making goals at all.
Instead of making huge goals, I make smaller ones with baby steps so I can celebrate wins and move forward in the achievement of my goals. This is just one of the ways I changed my perspective on resolutions. Here is how I learned to make resolutions that last:
Make SMART Goals
Making smart goals is imperative to our success in keeping our New Year’s resolutions. By using the acronym SMART we can create goals that are:
Simple
The simpler, the better. No need to complicate things. The more complex the goal, the more likely it will not be accomplished.
Measurable
Many of us make goals but have no way of measuring if they succeed. For example, one of the most common New Year's resolutions is to lose weight. However, there's no way to measure whether we retain that goal. Instead of simply saying we want to lose weight, the better goal would be to lose twenty pounds by May. It’s also important to add steps that will help us achieve that goal such as writing them down in a food journal, tracking what we eat, counting calories, etc. We will never reach our goals if we don't put in the work. This means a change of heart and mind when it comes to our goals.
Attainable
Sometimes when we want to achieve a big goal it may mean taking baby steps.
If you want to get rid of a mound of debt, for example, it may feel like it's unachievable.
But making a smaller goal to pay off 10,000 worth of debt by the end of the year rather than trying to pay off all 30,000 that you have, for example, will help increase the chance of achieving the goal. Take stock of what you have and take baby steps to achieve your goal. The little wins will be what keeps you motivated to keep going towards your goals.
Realistic
Set goals that are realistic, not ones that are impossible to achieve. For example, an unrealistic goal would be to lose ten pounds by next week. Scientifically, that's impossible to do. Since 1-2 pounds a week is normal, it is important to take that into consideration when it comes to setting goals. It may be good to even set goals that are half of what you want to achieve just to have the satisfaction of achieving them. For example, if you want to lose 30 pounds by May, it may not be possible, but making the goal of losing 10 pounds by May is possible. By making a smaller goal, when you achieve the ten-pound goal, you feel like you've won.
Timely
Be sure to set a deadline with which to achieve your goals. When I say goals that I know are difficult to achieve, I normally give myself until the end of the year. It may seem like a long deadline, but I don't feel the extra pressure to achieve my goals by a certain deadline. The extra stress and pressure are not worth it. Knowing that I can achieve a goal is enough for me to want to set a deadline. As a goal-oriented person, I always set out to achieve my goals earlier than expected. This can easily be achieved during this time frame as well.
Take One Step at a Time
It is important to take one step at a time when it comes to our goals. We have many issues in our lives that seem insurmountable and impossible to achieve. One step toward losing weight may be changing your diet. Quitting junk food completely if you've been eating it for forty years is not going to be achievable. However, cutting out ice cream three times a week is a baby step I can take. Once my body gets used to not having the ice cream, I will then make another change that sets good health in further motion. I can then take another step (like increasing my exercise, drinking water, etc.) As babies learn to walk, they don't just get up and run. Instead, they take one step at a time as they learn to balance and achieve their new way of life. In the same way, we need to achieve goals by taking them one step at a time.
Celebrate the Wins
One area of our goals we so often overlook is a good reward system. A reward system is a great impetus for us to stay motivated to achieve our goals. For example, even if we didn't hit our ten-pound weight loss by the end of the month, if we lost seven pounds, we celebrate. This does not mean celebrating with junk food, but rather making something else a reward. For example, you might want to purchase an item that you’ve always wanted but haven't been able to attain. You may want to celebrate with a massage or another way to relax. No matter what the reward is, celebrate the wins. Be sure to tell your friends about your wins. Be proud that you worked and achieved even partial goals. Partial goals are better than no goals.
Respect the Highs and Lows
Don't get upset if you suffer a setback. For example, weight loss might be more difficult if you suddenly become ill. Wait out the illness and treat your body well. Try to eat healthy during that time and exercise as guided by a doctor. Allow your body time to heal and get back to the place where you can exercise the same way. Life will have setbacks if we let it, but we need to ride those out and understand that it is all a part of achieving our goals. Goals can have highs and lows, and we will ride them out in the same way we ride any other trial in life.
Goals don't have to be daunting tasks that we must muddle through to have a good year. Instead, goals can be a great way to improve our lives and say we achieved something. People who ignore goal-setting rob themselves of the opportunity for self-improvement and to be better people at the end of the year. God is a God of change and redemption, and he wants us to embrace that. By taking baby steps, setting SMART goals, and celebrating the wins, we can make resolutions that stick instead of making huge changes only to find that February 1st finds us in the same spot we were in on December 31st.
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