The Difference Between Goals and Resolutions

We’re almost through the first quarter of the year and I’m sure you saw your fill of blog posts, articles and videos on New Year’s Resolutions or maybe some more “evolved” messages about New Year’s GOALS at the beginning of the year. So why am I bringing this up in March? Well, for a couple of reasons.

Firstly, a lot of people have already forgotten about the goals they set and the plans that they made on January 1st so this can serve as a reminder to stay (or chart) the course. #yourewelcome

Secondly, this is an area that I have invested quite a bit of time, energy and even money into developing. I won’t claim to have it all figured out, but I’ve definitely learned some things along the way that may help you too.

So let me start by clarifying why I detest resolutions but L-O-V-E goals.

A resolution is a firm decision to do or not to do something.  Wait….what?!  You mean to tell me that in order to successfully make a resolution I simply have to decide that I’m going to do something and just like that my life will change.  Ok!  Ah, yes…firmly.  No problem.

Whew!  Glad I got that done.

Well now that I’ve freed up quite a bit of time and mental capacity, let’s look at what a goal is.  

A goal is “the object of a person’s ambition or effort; an aim or desired result.”  Ooooo…..I like that one…it shows intent.  That’s something I can get behind.

So a resolution is a decision and a goal is a target.  Now maybe you’ll understand why I’m not a fan of resolutions.  Quite honestly, I already have enough lists in my life; I don’t need a list of decisions lurking in the background just waiting to make me feel like a failure whenever I run across it cleaning out my nightstand drawer.  I prefer setting up some clear targets that I can aim at with my ambition.

So how do you make sure you’re setting goals and not just making a list of resolutions?  Well, you need to be SMART about it. 

Specific – What do you actually want to do?  Instead of “get fit” try “I will exercise three times per week.”

Measurable – How will you know when you’ve reached the goal?  In order for it to be a goal, it has to be something you can track with data or a target.

Achievable – Is it in your power to accomplish it?  Should be challenging but something that you  can actually attain, with some effort.

Relevant – Is this goal worthwhile in view of your overall dream and is it in line with your priorities?  It should improve your life in some way.

Time-bound – When, exactly, will you accomplish this goal?  Give yourself a specific date or time frame so there is a sense of urgency.

Ok great!  Wait…now we have a bunch of targets but couldn’t that just be called a list too?  Technically yes, but never fear.  There’s one very important step that is here to save the day –> make a PLAN.  Your plan is what makes those targets goals and not wishes. 

“Our goals can only be reached through a vehicle of a plan, in which we must fervently believe, and upon which we must vigorously act. There is no other route to success.”

Pablo Picasso, painter

I recommend you get your hands on a good planning and organization system that can help you do this.  You can read post about why I love the one that I use here.   If you’re not ready for that, then the simplest way that you can craft a plan yourself is to take no more than three of your goals and do a complete brain dump of every little task that it will take to reach  each of those goals.  These tasks should take no more than 20 minutes a day, so if they are larger than that you need to keep breaking them into smaller chunks.  And lastly, if you need some help figuring out what all of those little tasks might be, I can e-mail you a step-by-step workbook that will walk you through reverse engineering your goals.

Now go out there and set some SMART goals and ditch those resolutions…if you made any 😉

With Love

Crystal

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