At the beginning
of a new year most people look towards a fresh start. Some commemorate this
fresh start by making new year resolutions or setting new goals. These goals
are often related to health, finances, time management – just to name a few. The
running joke is that by the end of March, most people don’t remember what those
goals were or the last time they looked at them. But there are a few steps you
can take to develop a healthy lifestyle for many years to come; to become a new
you in 2020 and beyond.
One of the first steps towards becoming the new you is to
understand the “why” of your goals/resolutions. Failing to accomplish goals often
comes from not really thinking about the “why”. For example, losing 20 pounds
may be your goal however your reason may be because you want to fit into a
certain size. Or maybe you want to stop taking medications. Maybe you want to
feel better physically and emotionally. Knowing the “why” is one of the most
important steps you can take because it will help you recalibrate if you get
off track.
After understanding your “why”, the next step is to make
SMART goals. What do SMART goals look like? SMART goals represent goals that
are specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and time-based. To develop
SMART goals ask yourself the 5 W’s: why, who, what, where, and when. You
already know your why so next, determine who will help or support you while you
work towards your goals. After that, write out what you want to accomplish. If
you have several goals write them all out, then decide which goal or goals to
focus on first. When thinking about your what, also determine what you need to
accomplish your goals. Are there are certain skills or expertise you need to
attain the goals? Once you know the why, determine the who, and narrow-down the
what, be sure to decide where you may need to go or not go to achieve your goals.
Finally, choose when you will work on your goals based on your schedule and
patterns.
Now that your goals are very specific ensure they can be
accomplished in measurable increments by developing milestones for your goals.
Accomplishing these milestones offers opportunities to reward yourself on your
success and helps with self-encouragement. Setting milestones for your goals
also helps you consider if the goals are currently attainable. If you want to
eat healthier do you know what that means or what that looks like? If you don’t
know, what resources do you need to make this goal attainable? If you are not eating
vegetables consistently it could be very difficult to change from a regular
western diet to a vegetarian diet. It may be more realistic to start by eating
1 more vegetable serving over the next 2 weeks. Once that milestone is reached,
you could increase your vegetable intake biweekly. To ensure your goals are
SMART you want to have them time-based meaning have a deadline for accomplishing
the goal.
The last step to becoming the new you is to get started and
stick to it! Research has indicated it takes 66 days to develop a habit, not a
month. That sounds like a lot of opportunities to get it wrong and miss some
milestones. Let’s be honest, it is! YOU WILL make mistakes. YOU WILL miss some
milestones! But don’t sit in your failure. Keeping going! These 66
opportunities give you enough time to ride that wave up and down until your
goal becomes a success and forms into a habit that can change your lifestyle.
Changing is hard but it can be done. Hopefully your new
goals for the year are meant to change your lifestyle and not just a moment in
time. Setting SMART goals gives you the structure to be successful in making
lifestyle changes. If you find setting goals and sticking to them to be too difficult,
seek out help. Now go make 2020 the year of a New You!
