Goals not Resolutions

How many of you have already made New Year’s resolutions only to break them halfway through January? Have you ever heard of Blue Monday? I hadn’t until this year. Apparently, it’s supposed to be the most depressing day of the year. It falls around mid-January and it’s called Blue Monday because by then supposedly you’ve lost your holly jolly mood from Christmas, winter has really set in, and to kick it off, you’ve most likely failed your New Year’s resolutions. Depressing isn’t it? And now it’s February, so does that mean you should just give up? Of course not! Try something different.

This year, I decided to do something different; at least for me, it’s different. I decided not to set any New Year’s resolutions. I decided to wait until the end of January to set goals. I always fail at resolutions, but a goal is much more attainable. Why? Because you can break it down into mini-goals which are more achievable than the whole. I also wanted to take time and really think about what my goals for this year would be and how best to achieve them.

When setting goals, it helps to know why, what and how. Just setting a goal isn’t enough. You need to know why you are choosing that goal (the what). If your goal is to eat 100 gallons of ice cream this year, (your poor tummy) think about why you want to do that. For me, one of my goals is to lost 50 pounds (the what). The why is because I want to feel better about myself and be healthier and honestly, to look better in clothes. Putting down the why also helps you determine if this is a goal you should really do. If you can’t come up with a good reason as to why you should have a goal of eating 100 gallons of ice cream, then maybe that goal isn’t for you, at least right now.

So for every goal, think about why and write it down. The next part is how. How are you going to get there? This doesn’t have to be crazy specific and detailed. Just a general idea of what you know it will take to accomplish your goal. For example, to lose 50 pounds I know that it will take cardio and nutrition to get there. That’s it! Don’t over complicate it. You can break your goals down further if you like later.

Put your goals in writing. Find somewhere, anywhere that will keep your goals near to you. A notebook, a journal, a printable,  or even your phone. Put it somewhere that you can reference back to it occasionally and check in to make sure that you are on track. If you get off track, then get right back on and don’t beat yourself up about it. I think for me this year one of the most motivating things has been listening to Nike’s Trained podcast. They are doing a 3-part series on How to Make Your Goals Stick and it’s amazing! Although it focuses on fitness and nutrition, etc., it could be applied to anything. Check it out!

Want to know what my goals are for this year?

• Lose 50 pounds
• Get into hiking shape
• Lower cholesterol
• Sleep better
• Self care
• Turn this blog into a profitable one

To get to those goals, I know I need to:

• Do cardio, strength training and increase flexibility and stamina
• Better nutrition
• Lower caffiene amount and create a sleep schedule
• Read Bible, spend time with God, and practice taking care of myself and taking part in things I really enjoy
• As far as the blog, learn, create and stretch myself

What are some of the things you are working on this year? Do you have any goals or resolutions you are working on? I read yesterday in a MyFitnessPal article that failing a resolution can be a good thing. It’s a learning experience. Just get back up and try again. It’s a good read! Share your goals with me!