Hi Everyone!
I hope that you all had a fabulous holiday! Now, back to reality! In a good way of course:)
Over the past few years, I have chosen not to set an official “New Years Resolution”, simply because I hate being disappointed with myself if I don’t achieve what I want to. A wee “A-type” I suppose…
This year, I’ve decided to set a New Years resolution. Instead of setting a goal that is likely not achievable or maintainable long-term, I’ve decided to set a goal that I KNOW I can reach and will enjoy along the way. I’m going to share my resolution with you (near the end of this post) because I know that it will keep me accountable. Please feel free to share your resolution(s) with me by posting a comment or e-mailing me at sarah@sarahremmer.com. It’s amazing how sharing your goals with someone will keep you accountable.
If you’ve already set one or more goals for 2012, read on. If you haven’t, well, this may just inspire you to!
Important things to think about before setting your goal(s):
WHY? Why are you choosing to set this goal? How will this make your life better or easier? What will you gain when you reach this goal? If you don’t have a strong motivating factor when it comes to your goal, you won’t be successful in achieving it. For example, if you set a goal of eating breakfast everyday from Monday to Friday, that’s awesome! But why? Maybe because you heard from a friend that it was a good idea or you think it may be healthy to do so? Hmm, not good enough! You may go one or two days having breakfast and then give up because you didn’t have a strong enough motivator. On the other hand, if your motivating factor is that eating breakfast will help to significantly boost your metabolism, give you more energy and help you to lose that 5 pounds that you’ve been wanting to lose forever, then YES! That’s a strong motivator that will keep you on track.
WHEN? When are you going to start working towards this goal? What days of the week are you going to work on this goal? What time? What is the specific time frame? A month? A year? I know this sounds a little too “structured”, but it’s not. In fact, these specific timing details are key when setting realistic goals. If you set a goal of walking more for exercise, that’s awesome. But simply saying that you’re going to “walk more” isn’t going to cut it. Sorry. Instead, decide when you will start walking (ie. Monday January 9th), what days of the week (i.e. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays), and what time (ie. after your toddler’s nap time at 3pm). Also, set a timeline (ie. I will do this from January 9th to March 9th, 2012, and at that point, re-evaluate my goal). These specific details will help to keep you motivated and on track, especially if you take it a step further and actually schedule it into your daytimer or calendar.
HOW? Ok, so you’ve set a New Years Resolution and you’re really excited about it. But you realize that there are a few barriers to actually achieving it. Perhaps your barrier is time, or lack thereof. Or perhaps it’s the unpredictable weather (how can you go for a walk if it’s – 30 out?). It’s important to think about all of the possible barriers that may keep you from achieving your goal and then breaking them down. You will definitely need support from your partner or spouse, maybe a bit of childcare, and even a buddy to keep you accountable. Whatever your potential barriers are, ask yourself if they are too big to overcome. If they are, take your goal or resolution down a notch. If your barriers are small enough that you can overcome them, great! Go for it!
My personal goals for 2012: Write a blog post every week on Wednesdays.
Why? Because I love writing. It brings me joy. I am also (gulp) working towards writing a book (I can’t believe I just put that in writing!). I am very passionate about nutrition for moms and moms-to-be (can you tell?) and feel the need to share my knowledge and passion. I also would love to continue growing my list of followers- spreading the word of practical nutrition far and wide:)
When? I will write my blog post every Wednesday. I’ll set aside some time in the evening to do this after my little guy goes to bed between 8-9pm. I will start this today (January 4th) and continue this for 3 months (until March 4th) and then re-evaluate.
How? I will schedule this into my calendar so that I do not book anything else during that time. I’ll also let my husband know that I’m doing this so that he knows and expects that I won’t’ be available from 8-9pm.
TMI (Too much info)?
Maybe. But I wanted to outline my own personal goal so that you could use this as a framework for yours. Notice that my goal is not too lofty- some of you may even think that it’s wimpy. Well, at first, I thought about challenging myself with writing a blog post a day, but after really thinking about it, I knew that I would not be able to maintain it. So I set a more realistic goal of writing a blog post a week. If I write more, BONUS! If not, it’s ok for now.
Here’s my challenge to you: Think about your personal 2012 resolution. Is it realistic? Do you maybe need to take it down a notch like I did? Write or type out your goal(s). Feel free to leave a comment or shoot me an e-mail with your goal. Make sure to include the why’s, when’s and how’s as well. Having some accountability will help you commit to your goal and stick to it. I’m excited to hear what your 2012 resolutions are!
Happy 2012!
xo Sarah
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