The New Year is a fabulous time to evaluate life. It is easy to end up in survival mode or on autopilot through life. It takes effort to separate from the rut of life long enough to determine if you are on the right track. Carve out time to regroup and consider where you are at in key areas of life such as relationships, work, and dreams for the future. Are you putting the most important things first? What changes have you been putting off because it would take a lot of time or effort? Perhaps it is time to make the change you have been thinking about for a while.
One helpful tool for setting goals or New Year’s resolutions is the SMART acronym first published by George T. Doran in 1981:
Specific – Make sure you are clear on what exactly you want to change or achieve.
Measurable – Put numbers to your goals. It makes it easier to see if you are making progress. For instance, if your goal is to spend more time with your kids, then set the number of minutes you want to spend with them each day.
Assignable – This is determining who will do what. For New Year resolutions and personal goals, it will be you.
Realistic – Challenge yourself, but make sure that your goal is something you can do without getting too discouraged and quitting.
Time based – Set a date that you want to achieve your goal by.
Change can be exciting. It can also be difficult and uncomfortable at times. When you feel the pull to give up or go back to old ways, continue to push through. It takes time to establish new patterns and habits. If you continue to struggle, consider if the issue is not the behavior, but the heart or past experiences that are driving the behavior. Perhaps there is a deeper change necessary in order to reach your goal. Find people to talk to and encourage you along the way.
The desire for newness is engrained in the world around us. We sleep and wake with the rising and setting of the sun. Each day is fresh. Each year is fresh. Let’s take this opportunity to consider how to make 2015 a rich and fulfilling year.
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Published in the Tri-City TRIBUNE (Cozad, Nebraska) on March 28, 2015.
Photo by Dean Hochman CC BY 2.0.
