This is typically a phrase uttered by people who come into the new year with resolutions that are vague, and without a plan. “I want to lose weight” and ” I want to achieve inner peace”. They buy a gym membership, go for a few days, wander on a treadmill or lift a barbell or two. Then the next week they are back to sleeping in and back to old habits.
We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.
Aristotle
Resolutions are almost built to fail, instead, let’s set some S.M.A.R.T Goals. Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time-Bound.
- Specific: Well defined, clear, and unambiguous
- Measurable: With specific criteria that measure your progress toward the accomplishment of the goal
- Achievable: Attainable and not impossible to achieve
- Realistic: Within reach, realistic, and relevant to your life purpose
- Time-Bound: With a clearly defined timeline, including a starting date and a target date. The purpose is to create urgency.
To achieve these goals, building good habits will be key. To do this I utilize an app called HabitNow, to track and evaluate my progress on Habit-based goals. For example, I can create a habit to walk 3 times a week, and this app will prompt each day, and give a quick glance at the status of my daily habits.
Finally, find an accountability buddy, whether it’s a spouse, friend, colleague or even publicizing your goals via social media or a blog. Find support where you can to ensure that you stay accountable, or build out a reward or even punishment system if you diverge from the new path you planning. If you lose 50 pounds you get a new wardrobe or donate a dollar to charity for every time you didn’t meditate once a day. If you thrive on competition find some friends who want to achieve the same goals and make it a game. The lowest steps for the week, they have to cook dinner for the other players. There are so many motivators, you just have to find what works for you.
Until I find an accountability buddy who aligns with my goals, I’ll use this blog. So down below are my goals for 2022. They are lofty, yet still attainable. The simple ones are easily boiled into habits, the bigger ones will require work and might be more nuanced but still are there to build drive, and all of them will help build off each other to ideally create a more enhanced version of me.
My 2022 Goals
- Sound Mind – Meditate Daily using a meditation app.
- Sound Body – Lose 20 lbs.
- Start tracking calories whenever I eat something using a food diary.
- Walk 3 times a week for 30 mins.
- Blog Once a Week
- Knowledge Growth – Read more books using the 10% Rule.
- Details in this previous blog post.
- Create a Product or service with 100 users.
I would love to hear what goals you have set for the new year, and I encourage you to share them below. If you have questions about S.M.A.R.T. goals or habit building feel free to reach out in the comments or on socials. Best of luck in the new year, and let’s stay committed to improvement together.
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