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A lot of us start the New Year with big plans for what you wanted to achieve that year. Whether it is to lose weight, quit smoking or start taking control of our financial future.
Most start motivated enough, but by the time Valentines Day comes around they forget about their New Year Resolutions. You see this at every gym. The resolutionists will stampede to the gym on the first week of the year. Gym memberships rise about 65% in January. High percentage of those people will only use their memberships a few times before they give up.
If you are on your way of achieving your goals, keep up the great job! If you find yourself losing motivation, here is some help.
So what can we do to ensure that we stay on track and achieve our New Year Resolutions? Here are a few tips that have helped me achieve me goals.
1. Remember that we all have a picture of the life we want to live. Think of goals as the road map to get you there. Start by writing down your goals.
2. Make sure you follow the SMART rule.
i. Specific: This is where you decide what your goal is, why is it worth your effort and how are you going to achieve it. For example don’t just set a goal to have a better life. Set specific goals to improve your health, relationships and financial situation.
ii. Measurable: You must have a quantifiable way of tracking your progress. Measurements help you stay on track. As you see changes occur you will be more motivated to continue.
iii. Attainable: You know your ability better than any one else. You want to be challenged by your goal but it has to be attainable. Make sure your goal is something you can committee to.
iv. Realistic: You must ask yourself if this goal is an objective that you are wiling and able to work towards. Do you have or are you able to acquire the knowledge and skills to achieve this goal? For example: Your goal is to run the Boston Marathon on April 24th 2008 but you can’t walk up a flight of stairs, you might want to reconsider.
v. Timely: Giving yourself a deadline is a great motivator to achieving your goal. The urgency of the deadline will help you avoid distractions. You need to have a precise day, month and year. You need a clear target.
3. Break down your goal to small specific goals. If you want to run in a marathon, start training for a 5k and then a 10k. Once you master these, move on to the big race.
4. Keep the End in Mind. When you face distractions or lose motivation, remember that what you do today effects how you live in the future.
5. Goal setting is a great habit to get into. Once you have achieved your goal, set a new one.
Our world is changing so rapidly, that waiting to make changes will only leave you two steps behind. Goal setting is an ideal way to motivated you to work towards living your “Dream Life”.
Good luck on achieving your goals. Have a prosperous 2008.
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