Did you make any new year resolutions for 2017? I wonder how they are going and whether you have stuck to them? Sadly, heartfelt decisions such as ‘I will never eat chocolate again’ though meant at the time, are often hard to keep. When they are broken – often very early in January, the disappointment can cause negative feelings rather than creating positive vibes and can also lead to comfort eating of things like chocolate.

Therefore why not abandon new year resolutions and sit down and make some well thought out SMART goals. What is a SMART goal? It is a goal which is more likely to be achieved and is likely to create positive vibes! SMART stands for :

S Specific

M Measurable

A Achievable

R Realistic

T Timed

If the idea of not eating chocolate is turned into a SMART goal, it could become : I will avoid chocolate during the week and eat no more than one bar of 85% bitter chocolate (85g) at the weekend, starting from today. If this goal is truly SMART it will be achievable and may even lead to a lifestyle change.

If you wanted to improve for financial situation, the statement I want more money, may not succeed. However if you turn it in to a SMART goal it could become : I am going to increase turnover to £X per month by making 10 calls to past clients each week starting from today. This statement is far more likely to succeed.

Go on – have a go at creating SMART goals, which are achievable and immensely satisfying. If you need any help to create SMART goals for 2017 let me know!