The Best Time to Set Goals?

When is the best time to set and begin working toward a goal?

Now.

It’s a tough reality that trophies are a little harder to come by than when you were a kid… The past few years have been hard for everyone, and it has been so difficult for many (including me & my family) to set and keep to goals. I am not the type to make new year resolutions, but I am definitely one to make plans…

1. Don’t be too hard on yourself. | The last few years have been rough, so just staying afloat is an accomplishment to be proud of.
2. Set goals anyway! | Even Especially in hard times, goal setting is important. Goal setting gives you a sense of purpose – rather than allowing it to be a lost year filled with floating and worrying when you look back, make it a year where you learned to swim, saved 15% of your income, spent more time with your kids – whatever is important to you.
3. Make a SMART goal. | SMART…
   1. “Control the control-ables.” | Your resolution should be something you can control. What does that mean? Rather than, “I want to lose 20 pounds this year,” try, “I will make weekly meal plans and begin attending exercise classes three times each week.”
   2. Leave some wiggle room. | Don’t set yourself up to fail. Don’t aim to be at the gym eight days a week or save 300% of your income. What is truly realistic within the confines of your crazy life (because let’s face it, each of us has a life that is crazy in its own way)? Maybe that means starting small and increasing your expectations over time.
   3. Time fills a void. | The longer you give yourself to do something, the longer it takes, right? It’s easy to put something off until tomorrow where are 364 tomorrows. Be realistic: How much time do you really need? Try not to overestimate or underestimate the time you need. My vote would be to underestimate – if you aim too high but can in good faith look back and see that you have done your best, then it shouldn’t feel like a failure – give yourself an extension and get to it!
   4. Write it down. | Hold yourself accountable…
   5. Make yourself a cheering section. | Do you have a hard time telling others your goals? Sharing might mean that someone else can see your failures. And bonus, if you tell someone else then they might actually hold you accountable, ugh… EXACTLY! Tell someone who will hold you accountable but in the right way. Tell your kids – let your kids see you setting and striving for goals – it shows them that adults still learn, achieve, and fail (yes, let them see you fail! It teaches them how to fail well!)
   6. Optional: Make it a team effort. | Set goals with your spouse/best friend/colleague/etc. – the accountability can make all the difference and can bring you closer together… Downside: what if they back out/don’t take it seriously? Will that give you an excuse??