19 Dec The Art of Setting S.M.A.R.T. Resolutions

New year is around the corner and this is the time to set up a fresh start. While I am not too big on New Year resolutions, I am more of a goal setter and I want to share an ideology I’ve been using personally. When I was in Unversity (or maybe Cegep) I learnt about the concept of S.M.A.R.T. goal and I think this is the best way for all of us to dictate our New Year resolutions.

That being said, what is S.M.A.R.T. goals? S.M.A.R.T. is an acronym to help you remember how to set a goal for yourself. (I am personally a big fan of acronym when it comes to remember key concepts such as F.E.A.R. when it comes to networking! ) In fact, S.M.A.R.T. stands for : Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-Bound. In this article, I will share with you how to set better goals that will be clear and reachable for you.

SPECIFIC

The first thing to consider when you want to set a goal or resolution, it has to be. The more specific your goal is, the more realistic and the easier it will be for you to focus on it. You can ask yourself questions such as what exactly you want to achieve, how you want to achieve it and know your WHY! While knowing your why can be an article by itself, knowing your WHY when you set your resolution will help you stay motivated.

MEASURABLE

A good resolution has to be measurable. Don’t just say that ”this year I want to lose weight”; you should rather say ” this year I want to lose 15 pounds” per example. When your goal is measurable, it is trackable and there is also an end-point to it.

ACHIEVABLE

Is your resolution achievable? Are you staying in your lane? You should always be able to visualize you reaching your goal and completing your resolution but do not lie to yourself, is your goal achievable at the end of the day. I suggest setting goal that you have all the control over it such as ” I will save 50$ every week” versus ”I will get a promotion that will give me 50$ every week for me to save”. In the second example, your ”faith” depends on someone else and this is not motivating.

RELEVANT

Is your resolution important for you? Don’t set a resolution because it is trendy, set something that goes in line with your WHY. When asking yourself if your goal is relevant, you should be able to know if your goal will help you, are you able to make it happen and most importantly, does it make sense for you to put your focus on it. If you are able to answer yes to all these questions, you are definitely on your way to set a S.M.A.R.T. resolution!

TIME-BOUND

How long are you giving yourself? I remember giving myself a year when I would set up New Year resolutions. I will be honest with you, I was not always successful at them. In fact, I would fail them miserably. I started seeing success in my New Year resolutions when I started breaking down my goal in a shorter time such as 1 month resolution, 3 months resolution and so on.

Now that you know how to set a S.M.A.R.T. resolution, I am curious to know, what are your resolutions for 2018? Stay on the lookout because on January 1st, I will share with you my 10 S.M.A.R.T. resolutions.