S.M.A.R.T. Goals for the New Year
Written by Angela Giacalone, MSW, LSWAIC
I have always been in love with the new year. A time of fresh beginnings, where everyone takes a collective sigh and thinks about what has happened and what they want out of life moving forward. There’s something lovely about taking a minute to breathe, reflect and set intentions for the coming 12 months. Checking in with ourselves and setting goals for positive development is so important for holistic well-being. It is only with self-awareness that we can break negative cycles; Creating a life worth living.
It is here that I place the disclaimer that goals and intentions are not about being a better you. You are already good enough. You don’t have to do anything or change anything to be enough. Sometimes, however, if is helpful to reflect on what we want and where we are at on our journey.
Too often, though, our goals are difficult to attain and end up creating anger, discouragement, and sadness of a perceived failure. How then, can we reach our goals and be kind to ourselves in the process? We have to make them SMART.
Identify the overarching goal you want to achieve and then break it up into mini goals or steps. These steps need to be very clear action items, like making an appointment with yourself. Make them small, and very attainable. Set yourself up for success. Triumph builds upon triumph.
Preliminary goal setting
Start by brainstorming what you want eventually. This could be health, career, personal development or any other area that you think needs extra attention and love in your life. Look at these as areas of opportunity. When setting goals, we want to focus on the positive and be kind to ourselves in the process. For example, don’t say “I want to stop being lazy,” but instead say “I want to move my body more this year.” Have grace and kindness to yourself in the goal you set. You will respond much better to positive reinforcement than negative.
Once you have your overarching goal, it’s time to decide on the first step. This is where we set a SMART goal.
Specific
Let’s continue with my example: “I want to move my body more this year.” That vague goal is great for an overarching goal but difficult for quantifying achievement. When setting SMART goals, we need to make sure that they are specific mini goals that are working towards our bigger goal. For example, this week I may decide “I will exercise two times this week,” or better yet “I will go for a walk two times this week.” When deciding on a mini goal, I always encourage my patients to aim for a small plan that they know they can achieve and build from there. We want to build success upon success.
Measurable
Let’s look at my mini goal again: “I will go for a walk two times this week.” It’s specific, but not totally measurable. To measure this goal, I need to add a length of exercise. In this example, maybe eventually I want to walk for 30 minutes, but today, I’m going to set the goal for only 10 minutes, because I know I can achieve that. Now the goal looks like this “I am going to go for a 10-minute walk, two times this week.” Starting to look pretty good, right? We’re not done yet.
Attainable
Let’s take a pause here to reiterate the importance of attainability. Setting goals that we feel we “should” be able to attain but can’t yet, only perpetuates a narrative of failure. Instead, ask yourself, “Is my goal definitely achievable?” “What might be a barrier to be attaining this goal?” In my example, I set the goals for two days a week for only 10 minutes, because that feels very achievable. Be kind to yourself! Let yourself experience success.
Realistic
Along with attainability is realism. Is your goal realistic? If its pouring rain and I have a baby at home and no treadmill, going for a walk for 10 minutes isn’t very realistic, even if it is only two times a week. Set plans for your goals and talk these plans out with the other people in your life to make them a reality. Maybe it isn’t realistic for me to be able to go for a walk when I’m at home. Instead, in my example, I might say “I will walk for 10 minutes two times a week outside on my lunch break. In case of bad weather, I will walk the halls of my office building.”
Time-based
Almost there, but we can get even more specific than this. This goal we’ve started to create is already somewhat time-based. Walking for 10 minutes during lunch break two times a week are all time based goals, but to make it even better, set a goal for exactly when your going to do it. For example, I might say “I will walk for 10 minutes, two times a week, on Tuesdays and Thursdays, outside at 12:30 during my lunch break. In case of bad weather, I will walk the halls of the office building during this time.” This goal is specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and time-based. I’m ready to go!
Evaluating your progress
Pick a start point and a re-evaluation point. In this goal, I might work on this for two weeks and then see where I am. Where did I succeed? Where did I struggle? Were there any barriers to me accomplishing my goal? Ask yourself these questions and then, reevaluate. Was it too hard? Too easy? Change your plan slowly to work towards your overarching goal. Every time you evaluate your progress, ask yourself “Is this helping me work towards my larger goal of (insert goal here).”
Most importantly, remember to be kind to yourself in this process. Working towards self-discovery and holistic wellness is not a straight and narrow path. Approach your successes and struggles with curiosity and compassion. You are a work in progress. Think of what you gained from the experience and be mindful in your process.
Happy goal setting and a very Happy New Year to you and yours!