It’s the end of January. By now, I’m guessing that one or more of your New Year’s resolutions has already failed. Statistics back me up. According to U.S. News approximately 80% of resolutions fail by the second week of February.

So why such poor odds for success? I’m guessing the reason for failure was vagueness.

Pablo Picasso said, “Our goals can only be reached through a vehicle of a plan, in which we must fervently believe, and upon which we must vigorously act. There is no other route to success.

I agree with Picasso. I’ll show you why.

Let’s look at a couple of my New Year’s resolutions.

  1. Lose weight
  2. Exercise more

Great goals, but very hard to stick with because there’s no focus.

Enter SMART goals which are:

  • S -Specific (and Strategic)
  • M – Measurable
  • A – Attainable
  • R – Relevant (results oriented)
  • T – Time-framed

My New Year resolutions restated as SMART goals:

  1. Lose two pounds per month.
  2. Exercise at the pool three times a week.

See the difference when the goal is SMART?

There’s a target. A way to measure success.

Your goals or resolutions will be different from mine, or not. That’s understandable. BUT, are your goals for 2019 S.M.A.R.T.?

Whatever goals you’ve chosen, restating as SMART goals can help ensure success. A measurable goal underscores a tangible outcome.

Good luck. Me, I’m off to the gym I have two pounds to drop this week.