How to Set Goals You Can Achieve

Hi everyone! I hope you had a great holiday. Can you believe that it's already 2016?! 2015 just flew by. In honor of New Year's resolutions, I decided to write a post on how to set goals and ways to help you achieve them. We all set goals in the beginning of the year and usually start out strong, but sometime during the year, they fall by the wayside. Setting your goals right and staying on track can help you achieve them.

Step 1: Have a Goal in Mind
Maybe your goal is to get in shape, start a business, get better grades, eat healthy, travel, etc. Once you have your goal in mind, don't let anyone tell you that you can't do it. If it's something that you really want and are willing to work hard for, it's achievable. Don't get discouraged if things get tough, don't work out right away or you don't have much support. Just keep at it! You can do anything that you put your mind to as long as you're willing to work for it.

Step 2: Make it a S.M.A.R.T Goal
What's a S.M.A.R.T. goal? It's a specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and trackable goal.  Here's a little more detail.

Specific - Make your goal specific. For example, instead of saying—I want to eat healthier this year, try I want to eat a salad for lunch  five days a week.
Measurable -Track your progress as you work towards your goal. Set bench marks and reward yourself when you meet them. You could even reward yourself when you reach half-way.
Achievable - Evaluate your goal. Is it realistic? Is it something you can achieve or something that your willing to work hard enough to achieve? If it's a long term goal, break it down into short-term goals or stepping stones that will make achieving your goal less over-whelming.
Relevant - What does this goal mean to you? You're more likely to achieve it if you feel strongly about it.
Time Bound - Give yourself a deadline that you want to achieve your goal by and write it down.

Step Three: Plan of Action!
Write it down! Put your goal somewhere that you will see it everyday. Write it in color, put washi tape on it, add glitter, do whatever makes you like to look at your goal and motivates you. On another piece of paper, make a checklist of all the little steps or bench marks it'll take to reach your goal. Don't forget to reward yourself when you check them off. 

Step Four: Make it Official 
Tell someone about it.  Telling a few friends about your goal will make you feel more responsible to complete it. Even just saying it out loud makes it feel more official. In fact, comment below on your New Year's resolution!

Keep at it and don't give up. I hope you all have a great New Year! As always, follow me on Pinterest, Bloglovin, Google+, and Etsy. You can sign up for my monthly newsletter here.
- Serena