Goal Setting

The statistics show that only 8% of people keep their New Year's Resolutions. When I was in college, I did not make New Year's Resolutions. Instead, I would set goals for myself. I always wrote the goals down in my journal right around the end of the year for the upcoming one; then, I would review them at the end of that year. I knew the concept that resolutions did not tend to last very long, which is why I called them goals. But, really, the types of goals I wrote probably didn't last that long either. In fact, they were just glorified resolutions. I actually haven't set goals for a new year in SEVERAL years, which probably says something in itself. Since I became a Beachbody coach in July, I've been reminded more of the importance of goal-setting. As we approach the new year, setting goals is going to be on the minds of most people. Probably, everyone has heard about making SMART goals...making your goals specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound.

I want to be more about setting goals now. I need the purpose, the drive that goal-setting brings. I know I need to make it attainable, but I also need it to not be too easy. For one thing, when your goals are more difficult to attain, you are likely going to work harder than you would for a more easily-attained goal. Also, I've recently heard it said that when you're working toward a goal, you're happier. And I guess that makes sense, because it's giving you a purpose, something to work for.

It's important to write your goals down. Obviously, not only does it help you to remember them, but it gives you more accountability. People are more likely to attain their goals when they have written it down. You also don't want to set TOO many goals, because you would just be pulled in too many directions.

If you've been reading this blog, then you know that I'm right in the middle of a goal that I had set back in July (with no real timeline), of losing a total of 35 pounds. I'm currently 23 pounds down, with 12 more to go. But I think that I am going to go for a little bit more. So, I'm now changing my weight loss goal to lose 17 pounds by April 30. I haven't decided for sure what workout program I'm going to be doing. I'll be finishing P90X3 THIS WEEK! I had thought about starting the newest program, Insanity Max 30, but I'm a little bit nervous about that. I also thought about creating a hybrid workout using some of the different Beachbody programs that I have, but there is something about going through a program, with its different phases, that makes me feel more accomplished. Either way, I will be sharing on here as I go through whatever I decide.

I also would like to do a monthly date night with my husband. We do date nights occasionally, but I think it would be good to do them more often. So, I made that a goal, in my role as a wife. I'm still deciding on a goal as a mother. I'm thinking an amount of time each day that is completely devoted to my daughter, distraction-free. I already try to do that, but again, probably not as much as I need to.

Another goal that I want to share is in reading more personal development books. When I say personal development, I consider that different than spiritual development. I try to read a devotional, or from my Bible on an almost-everyday basis, and I have done this for years. So when I say personal development, I'm talking things related to leadership, goal-setting and achieving, and those types of things that demonstrate the development of me as a person. This year, I have read the Slight Edge, by Jeff Olson and I am currently reading The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey. So, I'd like to see myself complete four books in 2015.

What goals do you want to work toward this year? Write them down, share them with someone, and review them often. Remember, those are some of the things that will increase the chances of your meeting those goals.