Set SMART Goals

Dear New Year’s Resolutions,

Well, what can I say?  It was fun while it lasted.

Sincerely,

January 14th

Here we are — one week in to 2025. Did you set a New Year’s Resolution? Are you still sticking to it? If so, good for you!

In an article in Baylor College of Medicine’s website titled New Year’s resolutions: Why do we give up on them so quickly?, Dr. Asim Shah, professor and executive vice chair of the Menniger Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Services at Baylor College of Medicine, says, “It’s easy to set a resolution at the end of December or beginning of January, but studies show that 88 percent of people who set New Year resolutions fail them within the first two weeks.” 

You may be familiar with the routine of failed resolutions. We declare war on our bad habits while also proving that we are our own worst enemy. We make unrealistic resolutions thinking that one day on the calendar means we can easily change.

Could it be that we’re approaching it all wrong by making New Year’s Resolutions? The key to success may be to make a singular New Year’s Resolution! We can make one resolution and focus on it.

A resolution is a goal. Setting and achieving goals is an important part of personal and professional success. 

The key to setting and achieving goals is to make SMART goals. SMART goals are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-bound.

Mindtools.com offers advice on setting SMART goals. You can read the entire article at https://www.mindtools.com/a4wo118/smart-goals. Here are a few takeaways from the article:

Specific. Your goal must be clear and specific, otherwise you won’t be able to focus your efforts or feel truly motivated to achieve it. When creating your goal, think about the five “W” questions:

• What do I want to accomplish?
• Why is this goal important?
• Who is involved?
• Where is it located?
• Which resources or limits are involved?

Measurable. By creating goals that are measurable, you can track your progress and stay motivated. It allows you to stay focused, meet your deadlines and feel excitement as you get closer to achieving your goal.

Achievable. You need to set goals that are realistic and attainable. They should cause you to stretch your abilities while still being attainable. 

Relevant. Ensure the goal is relevant to you and that it aligns with other relevant goals. A relevant goal answers “yes” to these questions:

• Does this seem worthwhile?
• Is this the right time?
• Does this match our other
• efforts/needs?
• Am I the right person to reach
• this goal?
• Is it applicable to my current
• socio-economic environment?

Time-bound. Every goal needs a target date. This gives us a deadline to focus on and something to work toward. It helps prevent everyday tasks from taking priority over our longer-term goals.

Don’t wait until New Year 2026 for setting your SMART goal! By setting SMART goals and achieving them, we can ensure continued personal and professional growth!

Thanks for reading, and Happy New Year!

Joe