Unveiling Your Best Year Yet: A Step-by-Step Guide to Successful Resolutions
For many, the start of the new year marks feelings of reflection, anticipation, excitement and renewed energy. It also brings the hallmark, inception of resolutions, those promises made to yourself to establish a new you, in the new year. Yet, even with the best intentions, statistics show that only about 8% of people actually achieve their resolutions. This is likely do to taking on too much without a clear plan, lack of awareness of self, triggers and habits that hold you back and lack of accountability and measurements to keep you motivated.
It is possible though to use this time as a spring board to developing and establishing actionable goals that progress you towards your vision for yourself. In this guide, we walk through the secrets of successful resolutions, offering a roadmap to guide you goal setting and implementation.
Step 1: Reflect on the Past Year
Before you set your sights on the future, you need to know where you are starting from. Just like a driving a car to an unknown destination, you cant get to the end point, if you don't know where you are starting from. Some questions to ask yourself
What were the high points of the past year?
What were the low points of the past year?
What are you most proud of?
Assess how satisfied you are across the major pillars of wellness: health and fitness, career and money, relationships and connections, purpose and spirituality. What areas need more work than others?
Step 2: Define Your Values and Priorities
The foundation of successful resolutions rests on aligning your goals with your core values. After assessing your starting point, identify what you want to stop, continue and start doing in each foundational area. This should give you a clear picture of your priorities in a goal and value based lens - what matters most to you, right now and what you need the most of based on where you may be lacking.
What matters most to you? Is it health, career, relationships, or personal growth? Defining your values helps create resolutions that resonate deeply, increasing the likelihood of commitment and follow-through.
Step 3: Create SMART Goals
Once you have established what you want to achieve, you can craft a SMART goal (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time bound). This type of goal setting allows you to break it down into clear, actionable steps that are realistic and have a defined timeline. Thinking about a resolution over the course of a year is generally too long for most people so I suggest thinking about actions in 12 week increments. This not only enhances clarity but also provides a roadmap for progress evaluation and evolution. The elements of a SMART goal are:
Specific: what types of actions and activities do I need to implement?
Measurable: how am I going to assess progress and know I achieved my goal? what is the outcome that can be quantified?
Attainable: Is this something that can be attained with a reasonable amount of work and planning?
Realistic: Based on your obligations, is the goal and outcome achievable within a specific amount of time?
Time bound: when are you going to achieve this goal by?
So, if you want to get fit and have more energy your SMART goal might look something like this:
I will exercise 3 mornings / week on Monday, Wednesday & Friday for 30-40 minutes. This will include cardio 1 day, strength training 1 day and a HIIT workout the 3rd day. I will do a 15-20 minute walk on Saturday and Sunday with my [dog, kids]. I will track my progress in an app or calendar and work to increase intensity and resistance each week. To measure my progress, I will do a starting point fitness assessment before I begin my program and again after 3 months to measure my progress. My goal is a 5-10% improvement in VO2 max or running speed and a 15% increase in resistance trained.
You see this is a very different goal from I want to get fit. I want to get fit has no structure, strategy or target.
After you have written your goal, assess if you are confident you can achieve this and identify what might hold you back. If it doesn't feel achievable or actionable, what do you need to change in your life or in your goal to make it more realistic for you. Small steps today can get you to your bigger goals in the future, so doing something is generally always better than doing nothing. Committed daily action creates confidence and continued motivation so create a goal that works for you and where you are today.
Step 4: Anticipate & Prepare for Setbacks
A well-crafted plan is the bridge between setting a resolution and achieving it. Break your goals into smaller tasks and create a timeline for completion. Anticipate potential obstacles and devise strategies to overcome them. A detailed plan not only guides your actions but also fortifies your commitment when faced with challenges. This is the same for being able to prepare for and navigate setbacks.
In order to prepare for inevitable setbacks, develop 2-3 solutions for potential obstacles that might come up to help prevent you from getting stuck.
Step 5: Cultivate a Support System
Declaring your goals out loud and to someone you trust can make all the difference. After you have written and are comfortable with your goal, share it with someone you know and trust will offer support and encouragement. A robust support system not only provides accountability but also celebrates your victories, big and small with you further driving your success.
Writing your goal somewhere where you can see it often will help you stay grounded and focused on where you are headed. Finally, when motivation feels absent, staying present to the progress you have made, the feeling it is bringing you, and the small victories you have already made can help move you forward.
Don’t Forget to Enjoy the Ride
As the year unfolds, let your resolutions be a testament to your journey of growth and self-discovery. With reflection, aligned values, SMART goals, actionable plans, a robust support system, and a resilient mindset, your resolutions can transform from mere intentions into the tapestry of a triumphant tale.
Your resolutions and goals are the threads that weave the narrative of your personal evolution. May this year be one of resilience and self-discovery and renewed health. Here's to your best year yet!
