Thinking about a resolution in the New Year? Below are some suggestions on how you can make a change in the New Year and keep it. It’s all about making a SMART resolution. Make it Specific, Meaningful, Action-Oriented, Realistic and Timely.

“Specific: What do you want? The first step in getting what you want is to first know what it is that you want. Be specific; your goals should be straightforward and emphasize what you want to happen. Avoid general goals, such as “I want to get into shape”. Instead define clearly what you want. For example:

“Instead of feeling tired and sluggish, I want to feel full of energy from the time I wake up; until the time I crawl into bed.”

Meaningful: Why is it important to make this change now? The reason to change (motivator) must be strong enough to carry you through the change process. Keep asking yourself ‘why’ until you find your meaningful answer. For example:

“I want to make changes in my lifestyle so that I have energy at the end of the day for my children.”

Write down your motivator and keep it close by to remind you of the reason behind your goal; this will help when life gets in the way, and/or things get tough.

Action Oriented: What actions are you going to take to make your goal become a reality? Your goal remains a dream until you put a plan of action in place. Write down three things you can do to start you on your journey. For example:

1. Walk around my building for 30 minutes on my lunch hour everyday.
2. Eat a lunch that I have packed that is full of fresh fruits and vegetables.
3. Be in bed NLT 10:30 pm to ensure that I get a minimum of 7 hours of sleep a night.

Reevaluate your action plan every four to six weeks to ensure you are staying on task, making changes as needed. Add new actions when you are ready.

Realistic: Am I willing and able to do the work that it will take to reach my goal? To be realistic the goal must be ‘do-able’ for where you are at the moment. This means that the learning curve is not a vertical slope; that the skills needed to do the work are available. The actions you set toward reaching your goals should challenge you, but not break you.

Even the best of plans will have obstacles. When something does not go according to plan, what will you do instead? Having a plan B in place helps to make your goal more realistic. For example:

“If there is inclement weather I will walk on the treadmill in the gym instead.”

Timely: When will you start? Set a timeframe around the actions. If you don’t set a time, the commitment is too vague. For example:

“I will be in bed NLT 10:30 pm starting this Sunday night.”

How will you know that you have achieved success? What will it look and feel like? Throughout the process of reaching your goals you will be making and breaking habits, changing your lifestyle and becoming the person you have always wanted to be. Take the time to visualize that person and the life he/she is living.

Jump ahead to December 2010. You did it! The work, time and energy that you put towards this dream wasn’t always easy. However, by using the SMART goal model you remained on task, you were reminded why you started the process in the first place, you were challenged in new and exciting ways, and you were sure to have a plan B ready.

One final thought and question…take a good look back over all the things you have accomplished to be here. You set goals and have realized your dream. Now, how will you celebrate this success?”

(Source: SCW Fitness Newsletter www.scwfitness.com)