How to make New Years resolutions and keep them

So you have set your goals for 2012 and you are determined to make them work. It's now the 6th of January and already some of the goals may be slipping by the wayside and you want to know why, with the best intentions in the world, you are unable to stick to your goals.

One of the best ways to keep and succeed at your goals is to make sure you have SMART goals.

1. Specific

A specific goal has a much greater chance of being accomplished than a general goal. To set a specific goal you must answer the six “W” questions:

*Who:         Who is involved?

*What:        What do I want to accomplish?

*Where:      Identify a location.

*When:       Establish a time frame.

*Which:      Identify requirements and constraints.

*Why:         Specific reasons, purpose or benefits of
                   accomplishing the goal.

A general goal would be, “Get in shape.” But a specific goal would say, “Join a health club and workout 3 days a week.” 

Getting specific will not only give you clarity of what’s required, but it will also make it less daunting because you have a specific area to focus on.

2. Measurable

Establish concrete criteria so you can evaluate your progress as you go. Break your big goal down into small targets that you can track.

 When you measure your progress, you stay on track, reach your target dates, and experience the exhilaration of achievement that spurs you on to continued effort required to reach your goal.

To determine if your goal is measurable, ask questions such as……

How much? How many?

How will I know when it is accomplished? 

3. Attainable

You want your goal to be a challenge, but also one that you truly believe is possible to achieve. Don’t say you’re going to write a book this summer if you know you’ve got speaking engagements every other week. Pick something reasonable that you could really see yourself achieving.

You can attain most any goal you set when you plan your steps wisely and establish a time frame that allows you to carry out those steps. Goals that may have seemed far away and out of reach eventually move closer and become attainable, not because your goals shrink, but because you grow and expand to match them. When you list your goals you build your self-image. You see yourself as worthy of these goals, and develop the traits and personality that allow you to possess them. 

4. Relevant

Your goals should feed into your main purpose, so you must get in touch with the underlying purpose tied to your goal. For example, if you want to grow your client list, your priority will be to spread the word. In this case, you’d want to use your ezine, social media, etc. to reach out to new prospects that are in your ideal target market.

Make sure you review your goals on a regular basis—at least once a month. That way you can track your progress, and ensure you’re actions are in line with your vision.

 A high goal is frequently easier to reach than a low one because a low goal exerts low motivational force. Some of the hardest jobs you ever accomplished actually seem easy simply because they were a labor of love.

5. Time-bound

Set a deadline for you to achieve your goal. It will give you a sense of urgency and also help you keep things in perspective in real time. 

With no time frame tied to it there’s no sense of urgency. If you want to lose 10 lbs, when do you want to lose it by? “Someday” won’t work. But if you anchor it within a timeframe, “by May 1st”, then you’ve set your unconscious mind into motion to begin working on the goal.

Good luck for with 2012 resolutions and may they all come true for you