Goals for 2015

Goals are not like resolutions, which can sound something like:

I’m going to quit smoking.

I’m going to exercise more.

I’m going to get healthier.

I’m going to read more. (Love that one.)

I’m going to be more social.

All of these are good resolutions, but they’re not goals.

A good goal has to be SMART. If you’re an educator, you’ll probably be familiar with this concept. I don’t know who first thought up the abbreviation, but it’s useful.

S stands for SPECIFIC. I’m going to add the word CONCRETE too. What does eat healthier really mean?  Does that mean lose weight?

M stands for MEASURABLE. If there aren’t any numbers or percentages involved in your goal, you won’t be able to measure it so you won’t be able to tell the progress you make toward reaching the goal or know when you have reached it. How healthy do I have to get? To get healthier, I’ll exercise 5 days a week. That’s specific and measureable.

A—ACCOMPLISH (In business they’ll tell you assignable. Meaning who’s responsible.) Well, if it’s my goal, the person responsible is I. (I wrote “me,” but grammar check reminded me that technically the word should be “I.” ) I can have world peace for a goal, but there’s probably nothing I can do to …

R—REALISTICALLY make that happen. There are things I can do to bring peace to myself, or in my family, or church, or my community. But after that, not so much. Along with the realistic part, you have to look at the RESOURCES available to help you accomplish the goal. Can you afford to join the Gym? How much does it cost to do Nutri-System? How would that affect your family if you did that program? No matter how much I wanted to be a published author, without my husband’s support, it wouldn’t have happened. (Lucky me!) What steps will you take to see that you reach the goal? Just wishing won’t make it so.

T is for TIME related. When do you expect to have accomplished this concrete, measurable, and realistic goal? Do you have benchmarks to help you chart your progress along the way? This has to be realistic, too.

I would add two other actions to our SMART Goals. 

1. HAVE A SUPPORT GROUP. Have you heard of Weight Watchers? Alcoholics Anonymous? When I was a  young mom, I met weekly with two women from church. We reported our progress each week and wrote it in a notebook. On my way to being a published author, I spent several years meeting weekly with two critique partners. We urged and browbeat and encouraged each other on that path. We measured it in 20 new pages a week, written, and edited. All three of us are now published authors. Thank you Jeannie Guzman and Jerrie Alexander.  

With a support group, you’ve gone public to a small or larger group. Extra incentive not to fail. 

2. CELEBRATE YOUR ACCOMPLISHMENTS, especially the little ones along the way. If you’ve set yourself a big goal, make sure you celebrate each of those small victories. They lead to the big VICTORY. Gutting up to push SEND to share your work with an editor or publisher or agent takes just that—GUTS. It’s scary as heck! And deserves celebrating. Lots of little celebrations on the road to the goal, helps you get there.

My daughter has small boxes with a prize (reward) she’s set up for herself when she accomplishes the steps that week, which are getting her ready to run a marathon. (This begs the question of whether anyone should run a marathon.  However, if that’s your goal, then you’re looking at lots of steps (literal and figurative) to get you there.) 

As you know back in the fall, I set out to lose weight. (Well, most of my life I’ve had that as a goal. Just now, there are a lot more pounds to lose.) I had a support group. You. I had a specific measurable goal. 2 pounds a week for x number of weeks. Even planned for some times to fall off the plan. I know how to lose weight. Fewer calories in, more energy burned = lose weight. Whatever actual plan you use, that’s all it takes.

Well, I was on a roll for about two weeks then I plateaued, because I wasn’t as careful about what I ate. The exercise is pretty much the same. Pilates twice a week and then walking. (Before Charley it was at the Mall. Now it’s around our block 3 – 4 times a day. 1 ½ to 2 miles a day, every day.) We hit the holidays. No excuses. Folks, I just really love to eat. I like the tastes and textures. I seem to do best if I just don’t eat anything rather than controlling the amount I eat. Of course, you can’t just quit eating like you can quit smoking or quit drinking. (Both of which I’ve done in my life. I still don’t’ smoke, (Thank you God!), but after about 10 years, I started having a drink now and then. I discovered wine. Nice glasses, red is good for you, nice flavor, and relaxing.)

Anyway, I’m not quite ready to state a weight loss goal. Let’s just say I’m trying to do better. (Definitely in the resolution pattern rather than in the goal pattern. )

But work goals? That’s another thing.

I will publish two books in 2015. (Concrete and measurable.)

Steps needed:

Write book Done (a second finished but not edited. It’s cooking.)

Send book to professional editor. Done

Fill out & send in info for Cover Artist. Done

Work with Cover Artist to finalize cover

Send edited book to formatter

Set up Blog Tour

Send formatted manuscript to CreateSpace

Approve final file and upload.

Order Print books

Repeat for second book!

Continue to be active on social media and write my blog.

Wow! I almost wish I hadn’t listed it all out. Pretty daunting. But then I’ve done almost all of that to get print copies for VERMONT ESCAPE, so I know I can do this.

Apologies for this turning into such a lengthy blog! Bummer.

So how about you? Do you make resolutions or set goals? Love to hear about them. Maybe we can help each other. Remember we can all use a support group.