I think many people stopped making New Year’s Resolutions because they don’t succeed.  And the primary reason for failing isn’t exactly that people are lazy or they are just making one just to make one—it’s most likely that their resolutions aren’t “smart.”  That is, Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-bound.

How do you make “smart” New Year’s Resolutions?  We’ll, just run your resolutions against these five letters.  So instead of saying, “I want to lose weight,” you can say it as “I want to lose 10 lbs. in 30 days.”  The latter is “smart” as it is specific: lose weight; measurable: 10 lbs., attainable: yes, with commitment; relevant: yes, for the person who declared it, and time-bound: 30 days.  Between the two statements, which one do you think is easier to monitor and have better chances of succeeding?

These five letters have helped me in a lot of ways ever since I’ve learned about them so I hope they would help you in making your plans, too!

* * *