Gyms and fitness centers absolutely love the New Year and the revenues that come in from varying duration memberships. Having made resolutions to lose weight or get in shape thousands of eager and highly motivated people join their local fitness club.
You see them in their color-coordinated gym clothes and let’s not forget profiling the latest Adidas and Nike shoes. Gym regulars, like me, are slightly annoyed by the increased wait for exercise equipment and weights but most of us know it’s only a temporary inconvenience.
We regulars know by the end of February the majority of the newbie’s will be long gone. This phenomenon of starting a resolution and only to have it fall by the wayside within the first two months of the year isn’t just unique to exercise or weight loss goals. Resolutions, like getting organized, quitting smoking, or traveling more, can all fall to this same phenomenon.
Desmond Tutu once said, “There is only one way to eat an elephant – one bite at a time.” Imagine seeing a massive elephant in front of you with the goal of eating it would seem unsettling and daunting. Not to mention elephant doesn’t taste like chicken! Perhaps, in the same way, we feel it nearly impossible to lose 50 pounds or save six months’ salary.
If you’ve ever wanted to achieve something major, you know getting started can be a bit of a challenge. Maybe you have a vague idea about what you want but no clue how to get it. Or maybe when you sit down to think about everything you have to do and get completely intimidated, freezing up and feeling incapable of taking the first step.
This is a common experience, and it’s the reason so many people fall short of turning their dreams into reality.
They try to eat the whole elephant in a single bite – a major case of indigestion.
One very important key to eating the elephant is by setting goals.
But in order to tap into your potential, you have to know what it is you want to accomplish. Setting goals is an important practice for creating a meaningful, satisfying, successful life. While setting goals is important, there are certain ways to set goals that further increase the likelihood of success.
A particularly powerful method of goal-setting uses the clever acronym SMART to guide the process of turning big dreams into reality.
Once you’ve come up with a goal, break it into smaller pieces or bites, if you please, to increase your chances of achieving your resolution. For example, It’s more achievable to workout three times a week than to work out 156 times a year. However, in case you miss a workout be sure to show yourself grace and get right back on track the following week.
