A number of people choose the new year as the time to set new goals for their lives and make new years resolutions. Sadly, by the end of January, most people have given up on their new goals. We believe that this SMART Guide will help you to successfully stay on track and achieve your goals. Your goals need to be SMART: (using the word SMART can help you remember these tips) First, write down all the goals you would like to accomplish in the new year. Then, take some time to think about each one of them and decide the ones that are the most important to you. Do not take on to many at one time, but make specific, realistic goals and choose one or two to work on first. Once you have decided on what goal(s) you’d like to achieve, try to define it as precisely as possible. You should write down all the reason why this specific goal is important to you. If you can put a number on your goal it will be easier to evaluate or measure your progress. For example, if you want to lose weight, how many pounds. Do you want to run a race or a specific running distance?Do you love to read? Maybe you want to read a certain amount of books by the end of the year. Perhaps you want to limit how much time you will spend watching TV or on the computer. This would be the planning stage. When creating a plan, choose some mini-goals to help you stay on track. If it’s weight-loss you can aim for 1-2lbs. a week, rather than look at 30lbs overall. It your goal is to read 52 books throughout the year, then that would require you to read 1 book per week. You must be realistic when setting goals as your new years resolutions. It’s a lot more enjoyable to exceed an achievable goal than to be discourage by unrealistic ones. Do not set yourself up for failure by taking on a goal that just isn’t possible for perhaps the time-frame you have set. Instead, decide on goals that you know you can accomplish if you commit to it and put in the work. Create a timeline that allows you to see your progress with your goals and sub-goals. That way you can measure whether you are on track or need to adjust your efforts or perhaps your timeline. Tips to keep up with your new years resolutions:- Remind yourself: Have your goals written out on paper or a reminder on your phone. Keep the goal visible so that you can remember your goals and continue to work towards them. - Create a vision board or poster displaying your 5 top reasons why you made that resolution and keep it somewhere in your personal space. - Tell your family and friends your goals, perhaps even share on your social media channels. Making your goals public can help create more accountability for you, plus it will make the goal more real.- Celebrate your efforts along the way! Set up little rewards for yourself. Don’t give up if it gets difficult or if you have a set back. Everyone has some days that don’t go well, re-focus and continue working towards the things that you want to achieve. Success happens when we do not give up! If you would like more helpful tips on how to set goals and create a vision board, our Goal Setting DVD can help you. What are some of you goals for 2016? Have you put a plan together?