Happy New Year everyone! I just wanted to start out 2017 by setting some goals for the year and I hope to inspire you to address some of your own. I didn’t learn until recently exactly how important it is to set goals. I mostly just traveled down the same path I had always traveled, just hoping for good things to happen. That’s not a goal and it’s no way to ensure that you improve and grow and make your life better and more positive.
To help me track my goals I intend on using a few free apps on my iPhone. The first app I use to track my goals is just simply the stock Notes app. Every time I think of an idea or come up with something that I don’t want to forget, I quickly write it into my Notes app. I use the Notes app to keep track of all kinds of things like my credit card balances and due dates, to a checklist of things I need to get done during my 34 hours of time at home each week, and even a list of show ideas and potential guests that I would like to interview. I intend on finding some other apps that help me organize and keep track of all of the important things and can integrate them into my calendar and other places, but for now the Notes app works wonderfully for me.
The most important note that I have in my phone right now is simply titled ‘2017 list’. It hosts my list of goals and plans for the year and it’s a central place for me to jot down all my ideas for the coming year and beyond. Some of the goals I have written there are things like “Read 20 books” and “drop from 250lbs to 215lbs.” Goals need to be Specific. You can’t just make goals such as “read more books” or “lose weight and live healthier.” Those kinds of goals are too vague and the likelihood of you actually following through on them is slim.
Goals also have to be Measurable and Acheivable. In other words, they need to be tangible with an actual value or number assigned to them, and they have to be realistic. This allows you to have a benchmark and to track your progress toward the goal so you can make changes and push harder if necessary, to reach the goal. It also keeps you from setting such unrealistic goals, that they will never be attained and you will give up on them quickly. This is why I set a goal of reading 20 books, instead of 50, and why I chose to lose 35 lbs instead of 50. Of course, it’s ok to exceed the goals you set. That’s a sign that you need to set higher goals for next time and it’s a sign that you are succeeding in your goals.
The goal needs to be Relevant and in line with your general objectives. For me, reading 20 books are going to help me gain the knowledge that it is going to require for me to start my new business and create my brand. My weight loss goals are relevant to my overall health and will undoubtedly increase my energy levels.
Most importantly, the goals need to be Time based. In my case, I am giving myself until the end of 2017 to accomplish them. I think that is a reasonable enough length of time to make these goals attainable. If I was just to say “I want to read more books and lose some weight” but I don’t set an actual deadline, I have no way to keep track of my progress and I have no way of keeping myself accountable.
These are the SMART goals that people need to set if they want to grow and succeed and make themselves better. I will periodically update my progress so you can help to keep me accountable.
