Studies show that if we set SMART goals we are much more likely to succeed in anything we are doing.

Goal setting is something most of us do from time to time – New Year resolutions are made by millions of people on the planet every year and resolutions to live a healthy lifestyle are right at the top of the list.

Making SMART goals takes goal setting one step further and may just be the key to their success.

What is a SMART Goal?

S – Specific

M – Measurable

A – Achievable and Attainable

R – Realistic and Relevant

T – Timed

It is important to have a long term goal and smaller achievable short term goals. Give yourself a reward when you have achieved your short term or long term goals.
Revise your goal regularly! How do you know if you are on track if you do not revise your goal?

If You Can Dream it You Can Do It!

Let’s use the goal ‘I want to reduce weight’.

Make it Specific:

Instead of your goal being to reduce weight your goal may be to ditch 30 pounds by following the DietDitch program. This is a more specific goal. You know exactly where you are heading.

Make it Measurable:

If you can’t measure your goal how do you know if you have achieved it? You can measure how many pounds you have reduced on the scales – how often will you do this? We like weekly however you may feel better with the daily weigh and we are not totally against this as long as we can handle the ups as well as the downs.

Make it Achievable:

Take the goal “I want to reduce 20 pounds this week” – not only is this dangerous, it is unachievable. What will happen when you don’t achieve it? You will be unmotivated to try again and will most likely give up.

Make it Realistic:

To ditch 30 pounds is realistic if you are 30 pounds overweight. If you are only 20 pounds overweight a more realistic goal would be to ditch 20 pounds.

Give it a Time Frame

This will help you stick to your goal. For example I want to ditch 30 pounds over the next 30 weeks.

Or let’s make our goal SMART – “To ditch 30 pounds over the next 30 weeks by using the DietDitch program” YES!!!

To achieve our health goals it is important to incorporate the following into our lifestyle:

• Education
• Nutrition
• Exercise
• And some form of Meditation: ( prayer, relaxation, me time)

I love lists and mind maps – I use them all the time when I study but they are good for goals as well.

So make yourself a list of what you have to do each day to achieve your goals. Some days you may need to carry a couple over – that’s OK – remember we are not into beating ourselves up anymore.

Do your mind maps in your journal. Ask yourself at the end of the day “did my actions during the day lead me to achieving my goals”. If you say “no they did not”, add “but that’s OK – I will just put in a bit more effort tomorrow”.

Finally – create a visual portrait of your goal and act every day as if you have it now.