New Year, New Goals

I love January! At the beginning of each year, people believe in themselves and are determined to be the best version of themselves. It’s the perfect time to reflect on the previous year and plan for the coming year. And, I love to plan! But, what I love MOST about January is that people believe in themselves. People are determined to be the best version of themselves at the start of each year.

As much as I love January and people believing in themselves, I'm not a big fan of traditional New Year's Resolutions. I'll give up sweets in 2020. I'll cut out alcohol in 2020. I'll spend less in 2020. All of these goals are in negative terms - they're all about things we won't do.

Instead, let's think about all of the things we will do! I'll focus on choosing real food (and drinks) in 2020. I'll intentionally save more in 2020. I'll exercise more in 2020. I'll read more in 2020. I'll spend more on experiences than material things in 2020. I'll spend more time with family in 2020.

Okay, we're getting there! But, I bet we could do even better! Who doesn't like a good ol' SMART goal?!? Maybe it's because I've worked in education for the last (almost) decade, but I feel like I've been talked to about SMART goals ad nauseam. (They even started talking about SMARTe goals in my literacy coaching meetings this year.) If you haven't had to set hundreds of SMART goals lately, here's a quick run down...

Specific

Measurable

Achievable

Realistic

Time-bound

Here's an example: I'll put $50 of every paycheck into my saving account during 2020. [Maybe I should do this one...I wouldn't miss those $50, and I'd have $1300ish extra in my savings by the end of the year.]

But, here's the thing about exercise New Year's Resolutions...committing to a certain number of workouts per week for an entire year sets you up to struggle. What if I get the flu one week? What if I realize I set my goal too low but I just want to stick with it for an entire year because it was my resolution?

What if instead I set a goal for January then revisited it at the end of the month and used that reflection to set a goal for February?

Setting goals in smaller chunks helps us feel success sooner. And, that success helps boost our confidence.

My fitness goal for January 2020? Do at least 60 minutes of yoga each week.

What are some of your goals?

This is one of my all-time favorite GIFs.