Goal Setting & Resolutions

Resolution = A firm decision to do or not to do something. (Merriam Webster)
Goal = the result or achievement toward which effort is directed; aim; end. (www.dictionary.com)

While well intentioned, only a small percentage of people actually succeed when setting “New Year’s Resolutions”.

We suggest creating goals rather than resolutions.  A resolution lacks many of the key factors to be successful.  Based on Merriam Webster a resolution is only a decision to do or NOT do something.  Many people When we decide to do or not do something, we need to create a course of action.

Step 1 – Envision your goal!
Go grab paper and pen….

Now, close your eyes and visual you reaching your goal. Where are you? Who are you with? What time of year is it? How old are you? What do you see? What do you smell? How do you feel emotionally? Who else is proud of your accomplishment? Have others joined you in accomplishing your goal? What is the first thing you notice since accomplishing your goal? What do others notice? What do they say to you? How do they respond to you?

Great now open your eyes and write down what you just envisioned as if you were writing an introduction to a novel called“My Life in (insert year)”.

Step 2 –“Putting It Into Reality – Making It Measurable”

1. Go grab what you wrote last week about your goal.
2. Put yourself back into the place of having reached your goal. The feelings, emotions, sights, scents, sounds, etc.
3. Now, pick a date that you have achieved your goal, make it realistic.  By the way, “someday” last time I checked is not a day on a calendar, choose a date!  “Sometime in June” doesn’t count either.  Open your calendar, pick the date, and mark it down.
4. Go tell 3 people, who care about you and support you, about your goal and when you expect to achieve it.

Step 3 –“Fine Tuning Your Focus”

1. So you have established the date you have achieved your goal, now let’s fine tune your focus on your goal.
2. GO – back to last week in your mind.
3. START – Pick a day of the week to start on.  I want you to mentally go through your day and notice everything that happened that was in alignment with your goal.  It could be big or small.  It could be an action you took, a phone call you made or received, a commitment you made, possibly you did some research on the internet about your goal, or ever talked to someone…
4.  DAY BY DAY – Go through the entire week, day by day, and just notice all the things that happened and that you did that were a small step in achieving your goal.  It helps to write them down.
5. REFOCUS – You might find yourself wanting to focus on what didn’t happen or how you didn’t get everything accomplished but just for now focus on ALL that did get accomplished and happened.
6. ASK –  at least 3 people to share with you what they noticed you accomplished throughout the week.  Add them to your list if you are writing them down.
7. FIRST – acknowledge yourself for all that you did.
8. LOOK – at what worked – AND REPEAT – do MORE of what works!!!!

I also suggest learning about and how to use SMART goals.  Check back for an updated blog on this.  I utilized SMART goals in Feb 2012 to achieve my weight loss goal of 20lbs.  It was a GREAT success and I even was 1st place winner in my entire company of 600 people!

by Katie Lemieux