I resolve to:
– Lose weight
-Quit smoking
– Read more books
-Have more fun
– Be a better friend
Any of these sound familiar?
I know we’ve heard it all before. Every January, well-intentioned folks make New Year’s Resolutions, only to abandon them in short order.
In fact, 60% of people who make New Year’s Resolutions abandon them in just one week!
So, what’s the problem? The goals listed above are similar to how many people SPEAK their resolutions. Does anybody see a problem with those statements?
They’re entirely too vague.
They lack specificity
And, most importantly, they lack Strategy
Let’s give these resolutions a makeover so that they’re actually achievable!
Reverse Engineering Your Goals
This is the process I use to set my goals for my business, health and personal life. It’s a concept outlined by Ms Chalene Johnson, a woman I highly respect and consider to be one of my fitness and business mentors. She wrote an awesome book on goals called PUSH that you can check out here.
The process works like so:
1). Clearly and SPECIFICALLY define your goal/ objective and WRITE IT DOWN!
“I want to lose weight” becomes. ” I will lose 20 pounds by Memorial Day.”
Great. There’s step one.
2). Brainstorm all of the resources/ knowledge you will need to achieve your goal by the identified date.
In order to lose 20 pounds by Memorial Day, what will you need to do or learn? Who will help you? Do you need a trainer or a gym buddy? Do you need to see a nutritionist? Do you need to research gyms or classes in your area? Write down everything you can possibly think of related to your goal.
3) Define your specific strategy ( i.e. Reverse Engineer your goal )
and then SCHEDULE IT!
This is when you break the goal down into manageable, bite-sized chunks and put your action steps on your calendar. So, for our 20 pound weight loss goal, we must define 1). How many days per week we will exercise. 2). How many hours we will devote to healthy food preparation (shopping, cooking, portioning, etc). , how much water we will drink each day, and put it on our calendar each week.
As the months pass, we will modify our strategy based on our results.
4). Keep Your Goal/ Resolution Top of Mind
I have a funny story related to this one.
A year ago, I sat down on New Year’s Eve and felt totally deflated.
I looked at my list of goals I set for 2013 and realized I hadn’t accomplished a single one!
In fact, in some areas I was worse off than I’d been at the beginning of the year.
I didn’t understand until James looked at me and said “Jacqui, how often did you review this list?”
Bingo.
The embarrassing truth was that I’d made the list, and never looked at it again.
The WHOLE YEAR! NO WONDER I didn’t achieve any of my goals!!
My suggestion? Don’t be like me. Review your goals monthly, weekly, daily. Place them prominently where you will see them frequently. like on a sticky note on your bathroom mirror or your computer. Or set a reminder in your phone to review your progress at the beginning of every month. Act, observe, and the adjust accordingly.
I’m happy to report that by implementing this strategy, 2014 was MUCH different!
And 2015 is fixing to be even better.
What are YOUR Specific Goals for 2015? Post in the comments below. Let’s hold each other accountable to achieving them!
Oh, and if one of your goals is to get in shape this year, you may want to consider joining the Fight the 15 VIP list. I’ll be releasing more information on my best-selling weight loss program here in a few days, and I’d love for you to be the first to know!
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