Make Those New Year Goals Specific!

No matter what goal or resolution you set for yourself this year, it's important that you be specific on exactly what it is that you want to achieve. The more detailed and precise your goal is, the stronger it is and the more likely you are to achieve it. Conversely, the less specific a goal is, the less likely you are to accomplish it as it the lack of details weakens it in your mind. Here are some prime examples:

Weak goal: I want to lose weight.
Strong goal: I want to lose 20 pounds. I will accomplish this by doing ____ and ____.

Weak goal: I'm going to cut back on my drinking.
Strong goal: I will cut back on my drinking by not drinking during the week.

Weak goal: I will start saving money.
Strong goal: I will save $100 a month by doing this ____ and ____.

Weak goal: I will spend more time with the kids.
Strong goal: Saturday night will be family night, and I'll spend at least ____ hours with my family.

Weak goal: I'm going to exercise more often.
Strong goal: I'm going to take a 30 minute walk each day.

Weak goal: I going to cut back on watching TV.
Strong goal: I will not watch TV on ____ night, and instead ____ because it's much healthier for me.

Here's what to do:

Write down at least a paragraph or two (preferably more) about WHAT your goal IS, HOW you are going to accomplish it, and WHY it is so IMPORTANT to you. The more detail you go into, the more you empower yourself. Write down every reason you can think of, no matter how minor.

You also want to "find the balance" with a goal, making it not too easy, but also not so hard that you may get frustrated and give up. Make it something that you want, but also something that you know you can accomplish if you put your mind to it.

Don't have too many goals, either. There may be 10 or 20 things that you want to change in your life, but if you try focusing on each and every one of them you'll find that your willpower will be diluted. Pick the 2 MOST IMPORTANT goals (one personal, and one professional) and focus on them until they are accomplished. You'll soon find that you'll be able to accomplish them much easier because they have all your attention.

Good habits that you want to develop aren't necessarily the same as goals. Goals have a specific resolution to let you know when it's accomplished. For example, it's a good money "habit" to save a little cash, but a good money "goal" would be specifically how much to save.

Goal Setting Tips:

• Write it down, don't just think of it in your head! Something incredible happens when you write down a goal -as it just takes on a life of it's own, and somehow seems more important than it would otherwise be.
• Be as specific as possible. Write down WHAT your goal is, HOW you intend on achieving it, and WHY it is important to you.
• Visualize accomplishing it, and see in your "mind's eye" the circumstances surrounding it's achievement. Constantly THINK of the goal as having already been accomplished.
• Attach emotion to it, and FEEL the joy you'll experience when all your friends and family realize that you've accomplished your goal.
• Find the balance: not too easy, not too hard; challenge yourself, but don't set yourself up for failure.
• Keep your focus: 2 or 3 goals are more likely to be achieved than 15 or 20.