Of course this is my opinion on what’s best for my life.
There’s something about a new year that makes us want a fresh start. I’ve seen it posted all over Facebook: “I can’t wait for a new year to begin.” Why? January 1 is just one day after December 31. Nothing magic happens by turning a calendar page. Or buying a new calendar.
I used to make New Year’s resolutions with the best of ’em. And I always forgot about them before Valentine’s Day. I don’t think I’m alone. Year after year my gym is crazy-crowded in January. By mid-February I only see the regulars. Yep, in my experience New Year’s Resolutions are just wishes sprinkled with confetti…or worse (see headline).
And then there are goals. I’m a fan of S.M.A.R.T. goals (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Timely) with associated strategies and action plans. I think the new year is a terrific time to set goals. Birthdays are another great time for me to assess where I am in life and do some vision-casting. Come to think of it, any day is the perfect day for a fresh start. But I can’t allow my goals to be reduced to wishes.
I’ve spent the better part of this afternoon doing some goal setting for 2013. I started by taking stock of where I am now. I used an assessment tool I offer my coaching clients; completing that provided me with a baseline from which to develop my goals. From there with pen in hand I developed a short list of things I’d like to accomplish in the coming year. (I find committing things to paper to be very powerful). While all of my goals are achievable, they will require continued attention. One of them is a B-HAG (Big, Hairy Audacious Goal) and will take laser focus. I also wrote why I want to achieve them. Next I created actions steps for each goal. I used the same notebook I use when writing my daily gratitude list. That way I can review my goals every day and hold myself accountable for following the action plans I’ve written. My coach will help me stay on course as well.
Did this take some time? Of course it did. But in my opinion it was time well spent.
Having said all of that, I do have a resolution or two. I’ll step out on a limb and predict I will not break these:
- I resolve to continue my streak of never having watched an episode of Here Comes Honey Boo Boo.
- I resolve to continue to abstain from eating broccoli, Brussels Sprouts and turnip greens.
What about you? Do you set goals or make resolutions? If you make resolutions, what was your craziest/funniest one?
482gr8 