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2018 might have been your best year, or it might have been your worst year, but that doesn’t matter anymore. Don’t dwell on the past. Tomorrow starts a new year. Tomorrow starts YOUR year. Hoping for a better year isn’t enough though. A dream without a plan is just a fantasy. Ask yourself these five questions to make your dream a reality:
What is my exact goal?
How will I know if I've achieved my goal?
Can I actually reach my goal?
Is this goal relevant to my current situation?
How long do I need (or have) to achieve my goal?
This is known as SMART goal setting (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound). Following this criteria will drastically improve the odds of you achieving the goal you’ve set for yourself. Let’s look at two examples of New Year’s resolutions to illustrate how powerful SMART goal setting is:
Doug has decided he wants to lose 50 pounds (measurable) by summer (achievable and kind of time-bound).
Doug has realized he’s gained too much weight over the past couple of years and has decided he wants to lose 2 pounds per week (achievable) over the course of 25 weeks (time-bound) for a total of 50 pounds of weight loss (measurable and relevant). He is going to do this by performing 3 workout sessions per week, which will be 30 minutes of weight lifting and 30 minutes of cardio. He is also going to cut back his Calorie intake by replacing some of his soda and snack food intake with water, fruits, and veggies. (very specific)
It should be obvious which of these goals would be most likely to lead to Doug’s success. Doug may have had the best of intentions and fully committed himself to the first goal. He might have even made some great progress towards the first goal but he would have ultimately fallen short and given up because there was no clear path on how to get to where he wanted to go. Make sure your goal is a SMART goal.
Accountability
It’s easy to back out on a goal that no one knows about. After you set your SMART goal, you need to do two things:
WRITE. IT. DOWN.
Write out your SMART goal on paper. If you want, write it multiple times. Take your SMART goal papers and hang them up in places that you will see them every single day. Hang it on the wall at work. Stick it to the fridge. Tape it to your bathroom mirror. It doesn’t matter where as long as they’re in places you will constantly see them and be reminded of what you’re trying to achieve.
TELL SOMEONE!
Tell someone about your SMART goal. Don’t tell just anyone though. Don’t tell your friend who constantly skips the gym and eats like a pig. Tell someone who will hold you to a high standard and isn’t afraid to tell you what you need to hear when you’re getting off track. This also needs to be someone you come in contact with on a regular basis. This could take the form of hiring a coach like myself or telling a coworker or gym partner. Just get someone that will hold you accountable.
Next Steps
Now that you know how to best set your New Year’s resolution, it’s time to actually get to work on it and I want to help you do just that. I want to make it as easy as possible to start making progress towards your resolution and celebrate the start of 2019 by offering 19% off the first month for any Treadaway Training online OR face-to-face membership. Simply use the coupon code “19OFF19” at checkout. This offer expires at midnight on Sunday, January 6th, so don’t miss out!
If you can’t afford a coach right now, don’t worry. I have something for you as well! Download a free copy of my meal planning and workout eBooks at the links below!
Takeaway
Make sure your goal is a SMART goal.
Write it down.
Find someone who will hold you accountable.
Thank you so much for reading and thank you so very much for your support throughout 2018. If you want to help the Treadaway Training blogcast continue to grow in 2019, simply share this post with a friend. If you like what I have to say, sign up below to become a Treadaway Training insider and get notified for each blogcast and video. I will be back here Thursday with another fat loss topic. As always, God bless you AND your family and I'll see you next year!
