The end of the year is time to reflect on the past 12 months’ achievements and failures and set your sites on bigger and better things in the year to come. New Year’s resolutions are a common tradition this time of year, but are usually created without much thought and long forgotten by Valentine’s Day. It is a shame because they are a seriously powerful tool that can set you up for success if created and followed up on correctly.
All goals (personal, health/fitness, professional, etc…) should be created as S.M.A.R.T. Goals. That is, they should be Specific, Measurable, Affirmative, Realistic and Time bound. For example, instead of saying “I want to be stronger,” a SMART Goal would be “I will deadlift twice my bodyweight by June 1st, 2011.” The SMART goal is not vague. You can measure it (there are numbers involved). It is said in the affirmative state, “I will,” not “I want.” It is realistic; if you currently have a 1.5x BW deadlift, this is completely within your grasp, and it is Time bound; give yourself a deadline.
Post your SMART goals in the comments section. Remember to include at least two goals for the weight room plus two more for your personal life or sport seasons. Include your full name.
