Given up on your New Year’s Resolutions? It’s not too late to be smart.

By this point in the month, most people have given up on their New Year’s resolutions. You know, those overoptimistic goals for the year, that a few weeks ago seemed attainable?

The year is not lost. You can still keep some of those resolutions, or even start a new one. The trick is to pick something relatively small and do it every day. Instead of going to the gym 5 times per week for an hour each visit, maybe choose exercising at home for 10 minutes every day. Or instead of quitting your job to start your own business, work with a coach and spend 30 minutes on developing plans, prototypes and marketing each day.

Having realistic goals sets you up for success. If your goals are too much of a stretch, then you’ll give up soon and never reach them.

Remember SMART goals:

S – Specific. What actions will you take? Use verbs like create, develop, complete and implement. Don’t use vague words like improve, increase or reduce.

M – Measurable. How will you know when you’ve done it? You can measure using money, numbers, percentages or time. But don’t forget about quality and satisfaction for metrics as well.

A – Achievable. Your goals should be motivating. They should be difficult but not unreachable. Consider the new skills and attitudes you may need to develop to reach your goal.

R – Relevant. Choose a goal that makes sense for your life or broader business goals. As a Systems Thinker, start with where you want to be in the future and choose a goal for reaching that or moving towards that goal. For example, you might want to be promoted to team leader can you offer to head up a temporary work team to develop leadership skills.

T – Time Bound. When will you complete the goal, or how many times/how much time per day. Having a specific deadline or count increases the probability of reaching the goal.

So, the year isn’t over. Set some SMART goals. And unlock your potential.

Want to talk about goal setting for work or life? Let’s connect Valerie.MacLeod@HainesCentre.com

Photograph - I made this photograph of a beautiful silver lock on a red door in Sintra, Portugal