It is that time of year. Everyone is once again making their New Year’s resolutions and figuring out how this year can be better than the last. While I’m all for this, I also recognize that for so many people they make their resolutions and a month later they have been left in the rearview mirror. My attitude in general towards them is much like my attitude was in school, be consistent and don’t cram.

When I was in school I generally figured that if I hadn’t learned something by the time the test came along, no amount of cramming was going to save me in the long run. So I figured if I just did a little bit each day to make sure I knew the subject matter, I’d be better off. This didn’t mean I was spending hours every night doing my homework and being a really good student. It did mean that during class I tended to spend an extra minute or two trying to focus on whatever the content was.

What’s this have to do with New Year’s resolutions you ask? Well, I think that when one picks New Year’s resolutions they should pick something they can be consistent with. Very much like making SMART goals, resolutions should be something that can be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound.

With all that in mind, one of my resolutions this year was to read more. However, that isn’t specific enough. So, to be specific, my goal is to read 52 books this year. Currently, I am working on three different books that I’m pushing through. One is about writing, another about the history of coffee, and still, a third is a biography.

As I work through the year I will be sharing about the books on this blog. I don’t know if I will be posting about each book individually or in monthly blocks or what. I do know that I will continue to track how many books I’ve worked through as the year progresses.

I hope you enjoy this literary adventure that I’m undertaking. I’m curious though, what New Year resolutions did you make? Share them with me in the comments below! Happy New Year!

About Post Author

Robert A. Laird

Robert A. Laird is an entrepreneur and also Executive Director - Creative for Shepherd's Grove Presbyterian Church/Hour of Power with Bobby Schuller where he oversees the television show of the same name. He also works with the Reliv Kalogris Foundation as it strives to feed starving children around the globe.

robert.laird@dapsmagic.com

http://robertlaird.me

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It’s a new year and for many people that means new goals, new dreams, and new opportunities. It’s a time to look forward and decide what path will be taken this year to get to a new place for next year. For some people the goals revolve around health and focus on weight loss, fitness, or eating right. For others, it is about pursuing the ‘American dream’ and getting to a better place financially. Perhaps that means getting out of debt, being able to eat out without stressing, or perhaps it is pursuing and achieving financial freedom. Any of these goals and dreams are possible but it really comes down to making choosing what goals you are going to pursue and committing to go for it.

One tool when creating goals that can help with success is choosing to make SMART goals. As you write your goals make sure they fit into the following criteria:

• S – specific
• M – measurable
• A – attainable
• R – relevant
• T – time based

This is just a way to remember that when you are creating goals, make sure each goal is defined and specific. Specific goals are easily identified not only by you but by others that you are explaining your goals to.  Make sure you can measure that success. Know what the definition of success is and what exactly you are trying to achieve. Be able to see how well you are doing on your goals. Goals should be attainable. They need to be something that you can actually do and not something that is impossible and will lead to frustration. Goals should also be relevant. Basically think if your goal is something that helps you get where you want to go in life, is something that really connects with you, does it fit in your life and align with who you are. Finally, goals need to be time-based. There has to be a deadline. A race where the finish line keeps getting pushed further away will never end. That’s not really achieving anything. It also robs you of your ability to see how quickly you ran the race and how well you did. Set a realistic time limit on when you want to achieve your goals.

Setting SMART goals don’t guarantee that you will achieve every goal that you’ve come up with. They do, however, help set you on the right path and empower you to be able to achieve your goals. The rest comes down to commitment, persistence, and work ethic.

What goals would you like to achieve this year? Are you ready to make it a great year?

About Post Author

Robert A. Laird

Robert A. Laird is an entrepreneur and also Executive Director - Creative for Shepherd's Grove Presbyterian Church/Hour of Power with Bobby Schuller where he oversees the television show of the same name. He also works with the Reliv Kalogris Foundation as it strives to feed starving children around the globe.

robert.laird@dapsmagic.com

http://robertlaird.me

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