Oh you know it! It’s that time of year. Where did the time go? Well with time comes change updated goals, and hopefully for the better. Saying what you want to achieve is easy, however, the execution, maybe not so much.  I’m SUPER guilty of that and there are definitely reasons. I procrastinate, I have a drunk monkey on my shoulder (that’s the little devil telling you you can’t), I get side tracked with life, and shoot – I’m human! If you’re human too, then read on. If not, tell me all your tricks because I could sure use it.

SMART Goals

So I’m sure you’ve all heard about SMART Goals – Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Timely. Do you even know what that means? Lol. Well it doesn’t have to be that difficult to figure out. Here’s how I break it down, and hopefully you find it helpful and as user friendly as I do.

Goal Planning Steps

Step 1: Brainstorming and Prioritizing

Brainstorming is quite simple. Think of everything you want to accomplish and write it down. I tend to brainstorm then pick 1 – 3 goals that are the highest on my priority list and stick to those. This way it doesn’t become too overwhelming.

Step 2: Creating the plan – Long Term

Reaching a goal is no easy feat. So to make it seem within reach, you have to break the plan down to long term and short term goals. So say your main goal is to lose weight. Think of 3 ways you are going to do that. Some examples may be: eating healthier, exercising, and getting more sleep.

Step 3: Creating the plan – Short Term

Now comes in the short term goals. We’re going to break those 3 steps into smaller steps. I usually like to think of 3 – 5 small steps to get there. So for example, in order to eat healthier, I am going to: Plan out my meals, eat meat 3 times a week only, drink 1/2 my body weight in ounces of water, add a salad to every dinner, have a high fiber breakfast.

Step 4: Make your plan visible and have an accountability partner

Now that you have your goal and steps set up, the next thing to do is post it up so that it’s visible. I’m learning that if I don’t see my goals, I forget about them. And to take it up a notch, find an accountability partner you can check in with every week, biweekly, monthly, etc. Talking to someone about your goals makes you feel guilty if you don’t do it lol. Well, maybe just me, but seriously – having someone to talk to about it keeps it in the forefront.

Step 5: Adjust and revise

As time goes one, you are probably going to need to adjust and revise your plan so that it fits with your life. Maybe you already reached the goal and are ready for a new one, or maybe a step you had was just too bizarre and was not working. Whatever it is, if you need to adjust or revise, it does not mean you failed. Adjusting and revising is all a part of getting to your goals.

Step 6: Celebrate

Don’t just celebrate the big goal – celebrate the little wins along the way. If you’re celebrating your small wins, you’ll feel some kind of accomplishment and that will help push you to get to your main goal. Everyone says “Life’s too short to not blah blah blah,” but I think life is the longest thing you’re going to live, and you should celebrate as much as you can along the way. I guess that means the same thing, but you know… gotta add my own spin lol.

Keep reading on…..

Since you have been so gracious to stick around and read, I’m making life more exciting and gifting you the gift of a …… FREE Template! See that? Celebrating!!!! So do you have any goals in mind for the new year? Do you have an action plan? I’d love to hear all about it.

Click here to download the template