A new year brings a new start, a fresh chance to begin with a clean slate. A new year encourages us to get rid of things that no longer bring us joy or to add more of what does. It’s only early December, but this is a great time to start thinking about your 2020 New Year’s resolutions before the chaos of the holidays overwhelms your thoughts. A New Year's resolution is a tradition in which a person resolves to change an undesired trait or behavior, to accomplish a personal goal, or otherwise improve their life. At Smart Start of Louisiana, our employees are working on their personal lists and trying to keep the goals SMART. A former Nicholls State University business instructor helped us understand how the acronym SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, rewarding, time-based) can improve our chances of sticking to our resolutions.

QUALITY OVER QUANTITY

If your goals are vague with no sense of direction, you’re less likely to stick to them. Don’t make resolutions just for the sake of doing so. If you set resolutions you know you’ll never stick to, you’re just setting yourself up for failure. You may add stress from not accomplishing your goal, and that defeats the whole purpose of setting resolutions. Don't be too ambitious. Fill your resolution list with easy, good-for-you goals…even if your list is only one goal long. With even one tiny lifestyle tweak, you’ll feel better and live better.

BE SMART ABOUT YOUR GOALS

Whether your resolution focuses on getting in shape, decluttering your home or life, using your time more wisely, improving your mental health, fixing your finances, spending more time with family, or giving up drinking alcohol or another addiction, writing an effective goal is a good starting point. Try to make each goal:

S – specific: Consider who, what, where, when, and why.

example: I will obtain a gym membership at my local community center and work out four days a week to be healthier.
instead of: I will become healthier.

M – measurable: Consider how many/much is enough or how you will know if you have reached your goal.

example: I will reduce the amount I drink and will limit myself to 1 alcoholic drink each day.
instead of: I will drink less alcohol.

A – achievable: Consider whether you have the resources and capabilities to achieve the goal.

example: I will create a starter emergency fund of $1,000 to lessen the likelihood of using credit cards.
instead of: I will create a fully-funded emergency fund of $20,000 to cover 3-6 months of expenses. (It sounds great, but will you really?)

R – rewarding: (Most literature defines R as either realistic, relevant, or results-oriented which are all very important. But since there is debate over what the R stands for, we choose to focus on the rewards or benefits you’ll achieve even if you’re giving up something you enjoy.) Rather than focusing on what you think you'll be missing out on, consider the incredible things you'll gain by keeping your New Year's resolution.

example: If I quit drinking alcohol, I’ll have better health, better sleep, better relationships, more money, and more time. I won’t miss the drinks since I’ll replace them with things even better.
instead of: If I quit drinking alcohol, I’ll have trouble coping with life and will need to find something to occupy my Friday nights. (Have you tried yoga yet? It works well on stress and you won’t get a DUI if you drive after yoga.)

T – time-based: Consider when you want to achieve your goal by (a deadline)

example: I will tidy one room each month to have a cleaner home by 12/31/20.
instead of: I will declutter my house. (We’ve all said that before and not stuck to it.)

SMALL RESOLUTIONS ARE STILL RESOLUTIONS

Building a small daily habit is often way easier and more attainable than building a huge change into your life. We live in a culture of intense expectations, and many of us are too hard on ourselves when setting goals. Step back from your ultimate end goal and ask yourself what you hope (and actually expect) to accomplish this year.

BUT WHAT IF I FAIL?

But what if you don’t? Becoming a better version of you, even if it’s not the version you initially resolved to become, is still an improvement. Get back on track. It happens to us all. Overcome failure by making a come-back plan. As long as you don’t quit, you’re still a valuable player in the game. If your resolution involves drinking less and you’d like help quickly and conveniently monitoring your own progress, contact Smart Start of Louisiana to see how we can help with our ignition interlock device products.