It’s that time of year again!

With 2011 only a few days away, many people will take time to reflect on the past 365 days and look forward to the upcoming year with the hope that things will be better. This is also the time of the year when we make our New Years Resolutions. As you are thinking about your goals for the New Year, take some time to not only make resolutions, but to make them SMART!

New Years resolutions are nothing more than goals you set for yourself as we bring to a close one year and begin another. However, most resolutions, by February 1 of the New Year are simply forgotten about until the next year rolls around. Why is this?

I believe that most people are not SMART about their resolutions for the New Year. They tend to make goals without having a plan to accomplish them. So this year, try something different when you are making your New Years Resolutions… make them SMART:

Specific: Do you know exactly what you want to accomplish with all the details?

Measurable: Are you able to assess your progress?

Attainable: Is your goal within your reach given your current situation?

Relevant: Is your goal relevant towards your purpose in life?

Time-Sensitive: What is the deadline for completing your goal?

"Vague goals produce vague results..."

Jack Canfield, The Success Principles

You want to make your goal as detailed as possible in order to achieve the specific results that you desire. A specific goal is one that is clearly defined in such a way that anyone could come by and understand what you intend to accomplish. Your goal should contain a detailed description of what you want to accomplish; when you want to accomplish it by; and the actions needed to accomplish it.

Create Measurable Goals

Every goal (or resolution) that you set for yourself needs to be measurable in some way. If you can’t measure your progress toward your goal, you can’t manage it. A good measurable goal will be one where anyone can come up to you at the deadline and, by viewing the results, determine whether or not you have completed your goal. You also want to be able to see the progressive changes that you make on your goal so that you can judge whether or not you are reaching the completion of your goal. Select a standard unit of measurement that will enable you to see exactly how far you have come from the start of your goal and how far away from the completion of the goal you are.

Create Attainable Goals

Having high goals that stretch you is important, but you need to also need to create goals that are realistic for your situation and skill level. Many people unfortunately set their goals and dreams so high that they are just not very realistic and, as a result, they never seem to attain them. Creating goals that are not attainable can be very frustrating and disempowering. Remember to set high goals, but be realistic about your goals. On the same note, goals that are too easily accomplished do not stretch you or make you grow as a person because they are not challenging enough. You will want to find that right mix of goal that is challenging, but not extreme.

Create Relevant Goals

Having goals is great, but what is the underlying purpose for those goals? You want to create goals that are in-line with your purpose in life. Relevant goals ensure that you are dedicating your effort towards goals that are focused towards who you are as a person. It is similar to a college curriculum that focuses on specific courses for each major. All of us should create a mission statement for ourselves which is basically our purpose in life and all of our goals should spawn from that mission statement. Goals are just a means of achieving that mission in life.

Create Time-Sensitive Goals

Every goal that you create must be time-sensitive in nature. Not having a time element attached to your goal is a recipe for failure. I think this is where many new years resolutions fail. We simply do not put a “due date” on them. By not assigning a completion date, we simply put the goal off for a later time and never get around to it. By nature we procrastinate and procrastination is the enemy of progress. Goals must have definite starting points and ending points and milestones along the way.

Let’s take a look at how one might be able to create a New Year’s resolution that is SMART:

Bad example: “I want to get a job.”

Good example: “I want to get a job in the _________ industry in ___________ (location) by March 1st. This job will allow me to provide for my family while also making a positive impact in my community through service to others. I’ll commit myself to attending one networking meeting every week, contacting at least 2 people everyday and applying for 5 jobs every workday until I reach completion.”

See the difference?

By spending some time towards making sure that your New Years resolutions fit the SMART criteria, you will ensure your success. But there is one more very important part of developing and marinating your SMART New Year’s resolutions.

You need to write it down and share it with the person you care most about! Simply verbalizing your New Years resolution is not enough. You need to write it down and place it somewhere that you see it everyday. The next step is the most important. Share it with someone who cares about your success completion of this goal and ask them to hold you accountable to reach the goal you have set for yourself.

Start 2011 off in the right direction by registering for this F*R*E*E Webinar!

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