As I was
writing my New Years resolution this morning a new email arrived in my inbox
from one of my own coaches, Rachel Cosgrove. In her newest blog post Rachel
talks about "Your Journey" and taking inventory of
where you are on your journey and where you want to go in the next year.
Rachel's
words got me thinking about 2013 and my New Year's Resolution in new light. Instead
of creating one massive life altering resolution (and one that I will probably
be very unlikely to stick with) like...get in "fitness model" shape,
or... completely cut sugar out of my life forever, what if instead I map out my
resolution as a journey throughout the year, breaking it down into monthly
goals?... a more user-friendly version of the typical New Year's resolution.
So my new
New Year's resolution is structured like this.
I have
created smaller goals, incorporating new goals on the first day of each month
while maintaining the previous month's goal. I will use my monthly goals as an
itinerary of sorts that will aid me in knowing where I am heading throughout
the year.
My goals
are organized into three categories: Fitness/Nutrition, Business and Family
life. I have created one goal per month for each category By the end of the
year I will have worked on 36 smaller resolutions, which will help propel me
down the path to what I really want... to feel better and look better, to
make a difference in other peoples lives and to grow a happy family!
Is your
New Year's resolution user-friendly? If not, consider what you really want in
the next year and develop an itinerary of
smaller
goals to create a successful journey throughout 2013. Try using this SMART goal
plan that I came across while preparing for my Whole30 challenge (which
completing successfully is my nutrition goal for January).
• S is for Specific. "Work out more" is an
airy goal, hard to wrap your arms around. "Walk outside for 30 minutes a
day, 3 days a week" gives you something to really visualize, and measure.
• M is for Measurable. Make sure you have a means to
measure your success. Ask yourself, "How much?" "How many?"
and "How often?"
• A is for Attainable. Create a goal you can actually
accomplish in a healthy manner, given your current context. "I will
exercise for an hour every day during my Whole30" is probably not
realistic. Don't set yourself up to fail for aiming too high - stretch goals
are good, but make sure they're still do-able.
• R is for Relevant. If your big-picture goal is to make
your body healthier, signing up for a fun baking class may not be the best
path. Your goals should all support each other, so think big-picture, and save
fun-but-not-as-relevant goals for another time.
• T is for Timely. Make sure your efforts have a set
beginning and end point. We'll do that for you... start each goal by saying,
"By the end of my Whole30 program, I will have..."
I will
write more about the Whole30
challenge in my next fit tip!
Good luck
with your goal setting and remember the key to success is progress, not
perfection. If you have a setback along your journey don't give up, press the
reset button and keep moving onward!
Your
coach,
Cecily
