2018 has begun, but don’t let it be just another year – set your goals now for a year you can truly be proud of!

My first question for you, is what do you want out of 2018? Are your goals to:

• make the team
• Earn a blue ribbon at the fair
• Succeed at County Events
• Get healthy
• Make a new friend
• Read more
• Earn lots of community service hours

Goals can be as big or as little as you want them to be, but the most important thing is that you make them. Goals provide motivation and direction as well as pride when you accomplish them.

Spend some time brainstorming ideas for what you can do this year to make it YOUR year. Time to yourself helps but so does asking your friends and family for suggestions. Sometimes outside perspectives help you realize goals that you didn’t put much thought into.

Get SMART in 2018

As we all know, we cannot simply wish something into existence. You can’t magically say “I want” and you have it. Everyone has things they wish to accomplish and a properly thought-out goal is the way to turn “I want” into “I want…and this is how I’ll get it!” A SMART goal is a formula to write a goal that is concise and effective. This strategy is used by top-tier career professionals and athletes and by anyone wanting to make the most out of personal planning.

So what is it? SMART is a mnemonic acronym:

S: Specific or Significant

M: Measurable or Meaningful

A: Attainable or Action-oriented

R: Relevant

T: Timely

Put these together and the formula will transform a goal such as “do well in the fair” to “I will get a blue ribbon for my steer in 2018’s October’s fair”.

Use SMART objectives to write your 2018 (or beyond!) goals that give you a clear picture of what you want to accomplish and when you want it done by.Properly addressed goals provides a road map to your personal successes.

Once you have a few goals:

• Write them down.
• Check your progress every 2 weeks
• Tell a friend to hold you accountable
• Don’t give up! There may be setbacks and that’s okay. Sometimes life is a cha-cha- 1 step forward and 2 back, however if you keep dancing you’ll get there. Accomplishments may be that much more rewarding when not only did you achieve them but you overcame for them.

So when 2019 comes knocking…who will you be and what will you have done this year?

Go for your goals!

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