Setting New Years Goals

This post may contain affiliate links. See my disclosure policy for more details.

by Renae Chiovaro on December 31, 2010

Happy New Years Eve- 2011 is upon us! If you are like me, you have spent a few minutes reflecting on this last year. So many things have changed in my life and I am certain they have in your too. One thing I have come to realize is that the road of life is curvy, you never know what is around the bend.

I don’t set New Year’s Resolutions- I set goals. Why you ask? Well, to me it seems that resolutions are almost always broken. Most people are excited about the new year and the challenges ahead. Resolutions for change are made- I’m going to eat healthy, start exercising and lose weight. By February, it seems like most of those resolutions are out the window.

Setting goals are important; it gives us something to work towards. There are certain steps you can take to make your goals achievable.

SMART Goals

S – Make your goal specific. Narrow down your goals and make the statement apply to an exact situation, event or action.
M – Goals should be measurable. You won’t know if your goal has been achieved if you can’t measure it.
A – Goals need to be achievable. It is great to aim for the stars but take baby steps along the way. You want to make the goal something that you can see progress towards. Otherwise, you will get discouraged.
R – Set goals that are relevant.
T – Put a time limit on the goal. If I do not have a time limit, I will procrastinate! You also want to make sure you allow enough time for the goal to be achievable.

I would like to add one more thing, be flexible. Remember that curving road? You never know when life will throw you a curve ball. In a million years I would never have guessed I would be starting a new blog in 2011. Some of last years goals were not achieved since my course has changed.

One goal that was achieved last year was my families use of cloth napkins! We have not used paper napkins on a regular basis since January 2010. It is much easier than I ever thought and the whole family has adjusted without a problem! We don’t even think about it anymore!

Did you achieve your 2010 goals? Have you made a list of goals for 2011? I would also love to hear about your New Years Eve Traditions!

Reference SMART Goals.

Bio
Latest Posts

Renae Chiovaro

Renae is a married working mom of two handsome boys. She works as a registered dental hygienist by day and blogs here at How to Have it All by night. She enjoys cooking from scratch, working in her vegetable garden and functional training.