Are You Ready to Set Resolutions That Will Stick?

It’s that time of year when we reflect on the year behind us and look to the new year ahead. It’s full of possibilities, but as the saying goes, “a goal without a plan is just a wish.”

What Are Your Goals?

According to Forbes’ research, the top 3 goals of 2024 are to improve physical fitness, finances, and mental health. But before you hop on this bandwagon, give yourself a quick assessment of your current holistic wellness. Your overall health is about more than just the physical condition of your body. There are multiple aspects of wellness to consider, including your emotional, spiritual, social, occupational, environmental and intellectual health. When one area gets out of balance, it affects the other aspects of your life.

The eight dimensions of the Wellness Wheel (Figure 1) are inter-connected to achieve balance & personal well-being:

Occupational?— career, certifications, work ethic, school, training, interests, abilities

Spiritual?— values, intuition, character, ethics, tradition, enthusiasm, spiritual fulfillment

Intellectual?— time management, study skills, goal setting, memory, test preparation, imagination

Physical?— recreation, nutrition, sleep, relaxation, energy level, fitness, preventative maintenance

Emotional?— personality, stress management, self-efficacy, love, joy, hardiness

Environmental?— community service, world and political awareness, natural resource management, recycling, food choices

Social?— relationships, culture, organizations, family, friends, clubs, parties, communication

Financial — expense tracking, donations, financial literacy, financial planning, food and housing security

Spend a few minutes evaluating your “health” in each of these dimensions and identify the areas you feel most unbalanced. This will help you identify the types of goals that are right for you.

Are Your Goals S.M.A.R.T.?

When I work with both executive clients and business students, we always start by setting S.M.A.R.T. Goals:

Specific: Start here! What are you trying to accomplish? Think about what you want to change and describe (in detail) exactly what you want to do! “Eat healthier” is not specific, but “Include more vegetables in my meal planning” is a step in the right direction.

Measurable: Ask yourself “How can I measure my progress?” This step helps you visualize your goal and evaluate your progress along the way. Having a measurable goal gives you parameters for tracking and assessing your progress and creates a sense of accountability. “Include more vegetables in my meal planning” becomes “Plan meals that include vegetables 6 nights per week.” Now you have something to measure and a clearer plan.

Achievable: Here’s a checkpoint—do you have the resources, tools, and information you need to achieve your goal? What’s needed to help you achieve this goal? Would it be helpful to ask family and friends for their favorite vegetable recipes? Will you need to create a grocery list? Include these steps as part of your goal so you have a clear plan.

Realistic: To avoid setbacks and false starts, be honest with what you can take on. Yes, challenge yourself, but also set yourself up for feeling successful. Maybe committing to cooking 2 side veggies every night to get started doesn’t feel realistic, but does 1 veggie per night feel more doable? Or cooking 4 days instead of all 6? Will you need to meal prep on Sundays?

Time-Bound: Commit to a time frame. Is this a goal for this week? This month? Although we’re talking about lifestyle changes and not a “finish line,” it can be helpful to establish a timeframe as a mile marker to reassess your changes.

Here is the new healthy eating S.M.A.R.T. Goal:

“Increase my vegetable intake by adding in 1 vegetable side to my dinners at least 4 nights each week. Ask family/friends for favorite veggie recipes and create a grocery list to meal prep for the week on Sundays.” Now you have a plan, not a wish!

Evaluate Your Progress

A crucial step in implementing your plan is to build in checkpoints to evaluate your effectiveness.? The frequency of your checkpoints will depend on your goals, but consider scheduling a weekly “check-in” with yourself or an accountability partner to track your progress and make adjustments as needed. Sustainable change is not linear, and there will be setbacks due to illness, injury, work deadlines, and general life changes! Expect these setbacks on your journey and create space for them. Learning, stumbling, and readjusting is a valuable part of growing and changing. Reflect on what barriers are in the way of meeting your goal and how you might approach it differently next time. Goals don’t work unless you do!

Celebrate Small Wins

Not every goal needs to be BIG. Start somewhere and start now! Think about what your life will look like when you have achieved your goal. How will you celebrate? Consider making a vision board, planning a trip, or rewarding yourself with a gift when you reach your goal. Then, set another one!

Need additional support? I offer 1:1 coaching and workshops to help you get where you want to go. Visit drtessbreen.com to download my free goal setting workbook and learn more about my services.?