What Resolutions Will You Make This Year?

It is that time of year when most of us consider how we will improve in the next year. Yet, we should be aware that less than 50 percent of people make New Year’s resolutions, and 94% fail to keep their resolutions. This is according to an article written by Tom Griffin and published at The Daily Signal. 

Griffin quoted Dr. Michelle Rozen’s research about New Year’s resolutions: 30-50 percent of people make resolutions, 94 percent fail to keep them, and 88 percent “fail before the end of January.”

Griffin’s counsel is to “prioritize resolutions that matter.” His counsel reminded me of SMART goals. I have written about them in previous years, so I will summarize information about them, which I will take from an article by Brett Day and titled “The Ultimate Guide to S.M.A.R.T. Goals.” This article is focused on team and business goals, but the following steps apply to all people. 

S.M.A.R.T. goals provide leaders with a framework to create specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound goals that can help teams finish tasks and projects on time and with desirable outcomes. Setting S.M.A.R.T. goals can help remove uncertainties and guesswork and help ensure projects and tasks are completed within specified time frames – which, in turn, can help eliminate the risk of scope creep.

             S = Specific: Create a clear, concise goal.

M = Measurable: Ensure you can measure progress.

A = Achievable: Ensure you can achieve the goal.

R = Relevant: Is the goal relevant to your life, to your business, etc.

T = Timebound: Make sure your goal has a deadline.

When creating S.M.A.R.T. goals, I recommend writing them down…. You can also quickly organize your goals and determine the resources needed to complete them….

To help build confidence and morale, every S.M.A.R.T. goal win should be celebrated….

I have made only one resolution at this point. However, I have learned through experience that I accomplish more tasks if I set one or two goals, complete them, and then set one or two more goals. This way, I do not feel overwhelmed by my goals AND I can remember them.

Are You Setting Goals for the New Year?

            We are at the end of another year as well as the beginning of a new year. It is a time when many people set goals – once known as “New Year’s Resolutions.” In search for information on goal setting, I came across this site that encourages its readers to set “achievable goals” or goals that are smart. To make a smart goal: 

1. Be Specific: Making goals specific means you need to give values to the X of the equation. Make the goals clear, easy to understand. In addition, include all the elements of a proper definition. Focus on everything that defines the goal, and nothing extra. Merely state what is necessary and sufficient to precisely describe the goal… use the 5 magic W’s:

§  WHO [will be] involved?

§  What [will be] the end result. What should be achieved?

§  Why [is the goal] a focus point? Why [is it] a goal in the first place?

§  Which resources are necessary?

§  Where is it? What is the location of the goal?

2. Measure your goals: A journey of one thousand steps starts with the first step….

Achievable goals are measurable, precisely because humans separate work in chunks…. Being able to measure goals means you know what you need, and how and when to deliver it. How many weeks until completion?

To determine measurability, consider quantifiers….

3. Make your goals attainable: Make your goals attainable. It should be possible to reach that goal. And you should set goals so that it is realistic to reach them….

To make goals attainable, you need to be aware of your limitations. And of how you can stretch past those limitations and beyond. Making goals attainable encourages resilience.

4. Make them relevant: Goals matter. There is no point to setting goals that do not matter. Yet, making goals relevant is a different challenge….

Relevant goals are easier to control. Why? Because all through reaching set goals, you can maintain that relevant goals are worthwhile. That they fit well with the schedule….

To make goals relevant, ask yourself what is most appropriate. Firstly, consider internal and external elements. Secondly, weigh potential outcomes and consider where you stand. Setting relevant goals is, above all, strategic thinking….

Lastly, you should also consider aligning goals to other objectives. Or to broader objectives in larger-scale projects. After all, everything should fit just right.

5. Set a time-frame: Goals are a lot like deadlines in this respect. Deadlines are set times at which projects must be finalized. Achievable goals have target dates….

            Another site discussed the importance of goal setting – “a process that identifies a goal you want to accomplish in the future and establishes measurable objectives and criteria for achieving your goals.” Setting goals is a process that connects “a long-term vision” with “short-term direction and motivation” to act. It is a process of developing an action plan. 

            This site listed most of the steps listed above, but it included the importance of writing down the goal. “Describing your goals in written form gives you a greater chance of achieving your goal. Writing down your goals is a crucial first step in choosing your goals.” Another suggestion from the site is to break down the goals “into actionable steps.”

Before breaking your goals down into actionable steps, you need to choose the right goals and measurable objectives. Defining your goals, and putting measurements and deadlines in place makes it easier to break your goals down.

Breaking down your goals into short-term, measurable tasks and objectives helps you manage your time better, be more productive, and plan your day effectively.

Making progress on your goals builds confidence and motivation. When you break bigger goals down into smaller goals, your goals feel more manageable and achievable.

Setting a big goal can feel overwhelming and cause procrastination. Having smaller goals to work towards enables you to plan out your day more effectively and stay focused.

Breaking your goal down also helps you identify the obstacles that stop you from reaching your goals. Overcoming obstacles can accelerate your path to goal achievement.

            A third suggestion from this site is to set goals for all areas of your life. “Life goals give your life purpose and meaning and define who you want to be in the future. Goals help align your focus and promote self-improvement and personal growth.” We should consider setting “big life goals, health goals, financial goals, and fitness goals [as well as] relationship goals, personal growth goals, and business goals.”

            My last semester included a class where the semester project was setting a series of goals, writing steps to achieve those goals, and measuring success in meeting the goals. We were required to set specific goals in spirituality, in physical health, and in a relationship, list the steps we would take to meet those goals, and make weekly progress reports. An important part of goal setting is holding oneself accountable.

I am a firm believer in the importance of setting goals. About ten to fifteen years ago, I struggled with flossing my teeth every night, so I set a goal to make flossing a part of my life. The thing that kept me flossing nightly in the beginning was the fact that I had set a goal to do it. After a few weeks, it became a habit. I have not missed flossing since I made it a goal. Now I need to make some specific, measurable, attainable, and relevant goals to work towards in 2022!

New Year's Resolutions

            It is New Year’s Eve once again. This means that it is time to make resolutions or set some goals for 2019. Most people desire a happier and more prosperous life in the New Year, and most goals are set to help this better life come to pass. We all know that most goals are not met with many of them dropped a day or so later. Why does this happen?

            Boyd Matheson in an editorial at the Deseret News claims that “The essence of New Year’s is contained in `what if?’” What would happen if we were all successful at meeting the goals that we set for 2019?

The turning of the year is filled with an abundance of hope, inspiring dreams and renewed optimism. There is something magical about the fresh start emanating from a new calendar that promotes big goals, fosters new resolutions and drives an inner desire to do better. The essence of New Year’s is contained in the simple question, `What if?’ As in, what if this is the year for all of those hopes and dreams to become a reality?”

            This is an intriguing thought! What if I was finally able to lose those five pounds that I have worked on losing for years? What if I did break the habit of walking into sacrament meeting just after it started? What if I miraculously stayed on a regular schedule of meals and sleep? These are just a few of the areas that I should correct in order to have a happier and more prosperous 2019. After asking a lot of what if questions, Matheson offers the following answer.

A new year offers each of us new challenges and new opportunities – what we choose to do and how we choose to pursue those challenges and opportunities will determine the success of our days, weeks, months, years, careers and personal legacies. For many, the anticipation of what might be swiftly falls in the face of procrastination or even just pleasant distractions….

The challenge then is to be in a state of action – focused action, while remembering that guilt-producing perfection is not required nor is it even the goal. Trying, engaging and doing things differently [are] what matters and what leads to positive results. The test for each of us individually and all of us collectively is to take our “what if” and make it a “what is!” in 2019.

            There is one possible answer -- stop procrastinating and getting distracted. Another possible answer is to stop setting too many goals at one time or trying to do more than time allows. Maybe I could achieve my three goals listed above if I worked on them one at a time. I think that I will try this method in 2019 and begin with my Sunday behavior. This seems to be a good place to start because it is the simplest behavior to change.

            Even though I live less than five minutes from the meetinghouse, I seldom leave in time to arrive there before the meeting starts. This obviously means that I need to do something different, such as setting an earlier time of departure. If I take ten minutes longer to leave the house, I should set my departure time ten minutes earlier. Just to be safe, I will plan to leave the house thirty minutes before the scheduled time of the meeting. This would allow time for any last minute complications and still allow me to meet my goal. I will try it next Sunday to see if it works. Once I have my Sunday tardiness corrected, I may have other tardiness problems solved too. Then I can tackle the pounds!

New Beginnings

                Janus is the god of beginnings and transitions according to ancient Roman religion and myth.  The Latin form of his name is Ianus, pronounced is nus.  He is usually shown as having two faces, one to look to the future while one still looks at the past.  The Romans thought so much of Janus that they name a month in his honor; thus, their Ianuarius became our January.

                The end of an old year and the beginning of a new year is usually a time of reflection and planning.  Most of us have made resolutions or goals for what we want to accomplish in the coming year.  Making resolutions or setting goals is easy; the difficult part is to keep them.

                I enjoy making new starts, whether it is a new day, a new week, a new month, or a new year.  I like starting over with a clean slate.  I particularly enjoy being able to start over when I have made a mistake or committed a sin.  I think this is one reason why I appreciate the gospel principle of repentance so much and am a firm believer in it.

                President Dieter F. Uchtdorf wrote of new beginnings in his First Presidency message for January and compared the opportunity to “start again with a clean slate” to getting a new computer.  “I love getting a new computer with a clean hard drive.  For a time it works perfectly.  But as the days and weeks pass by and more and more programs get installed (some intentional, some not so intentional), eventually the computer begins to stall, and things it used to do quickly and efficiently become sluggish.  Sometimes it doesn’t work at all.  Even getting it to start can become a chore as the hard drive becomes cluttered with miscellaneous chaos and electronic debris.  There are times when the only recourse is to reformat the computer and start over.

                “Human beings can likewise become cluttered with fears, doubts, and burdensome guilt.  The mistake we have made (both intentional and unintentional) can weigh upon us until it may seem hard to do what we know we should.

                “In the case of sin, there is a wonderful reformatting process called repentance that allows us to clear our internal hard drives of the clutter that burdens our hearts.  The gospel, through the miraculous and compassionate Atonement of Jesus Christ, shows us the way to cleanse our souls of the stain of sin and once again become new, pure, and as innocent as a child.

                “But sometimes other things slow us down and hold us back, causing unproductive thoughts and actions that make it hard for us to get started.”

                President Uchtdorf continued in his article to warn us against procrastination – “waiting for the right moment to begin.”  He said that sometimes we put off making changes because of fear and then possibly give up entirely.  “Another thing we need to remember when it comes to setting goals is this.  We almost certainly will fail – at least in the short term.  But rather than be discouraged, we can be empowered because this understanding removes the pressure of being perfect right now.  It acknowledges from the beginning that at one time or another, we may fall short.  Knowing this up front takes away much of the surprise and discouragement of failure.

                “When we approach our goals this way, failure doesn’t have to limit us.  Remember, even if we fail to reach our ultimate, desired destination right away, we will have made progress along the road that will lead to it.

                “And that matters – it means a lot.

                “Even though we might fall short of our finish line, just continuing the journey will make us greater than we were before” (“The Best Time to Plant a Tree,” Ensign, January 2014, pp. 4-6).  

                When we set personal goals and work towards them, they can “bring out the best in us”; however, we should exercise wisdom as we choose our goals.  We may feel good as we write a long list of “resolutions”, but we may become discouraged and give up on all of them.  I prayerfully select a few goals in two or three areas of my life – physical, spiritual, social, etc. – and make sure they are measurable, attainable but challenging, and something I can control.  We are more apt to work towards our goals if we have written them down.  A good place to write our goals is in our journals where we can describe our goals in detail.

                I set goals on a daily, weekly and monthly basis as well as at the beginning of year.  My big goals are of course for longer periods of time; my shorter goals are more like daily chores.  I am a firm believer in goal setting.

                I have always struggled to floss my teeth until a few years ago when I set flossing my teeth daily as a goal.  I have not missed a single day of flossing since that time because I do not want to miss my goal.  Simply having the goal keeps me flossing my teeth daily!  I have enjoyed many successes simply because I set goals and write them down on paper, but I have also met failure.  Last year I set a goal to lose some weight, and I worked diligently all year long to lose it.  I stepped up my exercise, and I was much more careful about the food I ate.  In spite of all my efforts, I lost about half as much weight as I wanted to lose.  At first, I was discouraged with my lack of success, but then I looked at my progress.  I simply set a new goal to lose the other half of the weight in 2014!

                The best time to make changes is now.  When we realize that we need to change something or desire to become better, there is no time like the present to begin that process.  I encourage you to join with millions of other people all over the world in making resolutions for change in the coming year.  Be sure to be reasonable in your goals and determine to keep working towards them.  You will feel better about yourself and eventually will become the person you desire to be.