The New Year’s Holiday has come and gone. Have your resolutions gone already too? Or, did you set any at all?

I am a big believer in setting achievable goals, and then breaking them down into manageable tasks. (I learned a lot about goal setting from Money Saving Mom.) By achievable, I don’t mean you should keep your goals small. Instead, I mean the goal should be concrete. It should be clear whether or not you’ve achieved it successfully. Instead of stating a general idea like, “I will work out this year,” say something more concrete and measurable like, “I will do a fat-burning workout for at least 30 minutes, three times a week.” That you can measure. That you can actually achieve.

Setting goals can be a daunting task though. I think we should all set goals to keep us progressing forward, always bettering ourselves, especially in regards to health and happiness. But where do you start?

Think first about what you want in life. What weighs you down? What worries you? What do you dream about? Spend some quiet time thinking along those lines, and just jotting down notes as you go. What, you have no quiet time? Well there you go – goal #1! Carve out 30 minutes of quiet time every week!

Once you’ve got some rough ideas, review them, and pick a few that resonate most with you. I like to have at least one big challenge, and a few easier to manage goals. Pick your top contenders, the ones that will have the most impact on your life, and then rewrite them in the way described above – a way that is specific and measurable.

You can work with your notes, or you can pretty things up with goal worksheets. I used this Free Master Goal List Printable to list my goals in each area I’m working on this year – health/happiness, financial, volunteer work, doggy parenting, etc. I like to have things look organized and appealing. It’s more motivating to me. A Google search will produce lots of goal worksheets, so you can find one you really like.

Once you have your goals listed out, it’s time to break them down into tasks or steps. Again, these should be clear and precise. They should be easy to check off at completion, because they are definitely done. I use another Free Goal Worksheet Printable for this step.

Using the fat burning workout example above, you could break that down into a few steps. It might look something like this:

In 2012, I will do a fat burning workout for at least 30 minutes, 3 times a week.

1. Join Gym. (Or get tour of gym and learn how to use the machines.)
2. Buy a pedometer.
3. Map out 2 mile walking routes in safe areas using an online map program.
4. Write the workouts into the calendar, and set up reminder alerts on phone.
5. Walk the 2 mile routes, working up to a 4 mph per hour pace, to be able to finish 2 miles in 30 minutes.
6. Start and maintain an online exercise journal to track progress.
7. Check in at the end of each month to tally workouts, and plan for the coming month’s workouts.

Now comes the fun part – the reward! Decide your end date for your goal, and a reward if you’ve met it. For this example, I would set the first end date for March 31st, knowing I intend to go all year, but giving myself a shorter measuring period to keep it from feeling overwhelming. If this was my personal goal, I would reward myself with new workout clothes for Spring, to keep me motivated towards the end goal of keeping up the workouts all year.

Since I track goals in multiple areas, I like to fill out one master sheet per area, and one worksheet per goal listed on the master sheet. I keep them all in a binder, for easy reference, accountability, and motivation. And then I blog about it! One of the biggest keys to success is sharing your goals. Once you speak them out loud, or write them to share, you breath life into them. You make them real, and because others know about them, you want to achieve them even more. If you tell the right people – supportive, positive people – they will help you achieve them. And with some goals, especially where health is concerned, you can really use all the help you can get.

Want to know about my personal health and happiness goals for 2012? I’ll share them with you, and make it more likely that I’ll achieve them:

1. Bring my A1C below 6. (I’m Diabetic, and this test measures my average blood sugar levels over a 3 month period.)
2. Complete three half marathons. (There are a lot of small tasks to achieve for this one! And some not so small tasks, too.)
3. Take at least 1 class per week from another yoga teacher, in the studio. (Lately, I’ve been teaching more than I’ve been learning.)
4. Meditate for at least five minutes a day, every day. No matter what.
5. Take swimming lessons from the hubster once a month (when he’s home). (I’m trying to learn to swim laps for exercise, and spend more time with him as well.)

My diabetic goal and my running goal are a little bit overwhelming. But by making them measurable, and by identifying several different tasks within each goal to break them down, they become much more feasible. I know I can do it!

If you’d like to read more about my personal goals, you can check out my post on my Volunteer Goals, or my post on my Financial Goals. Money Saving Mom has a wealth of posts about goal setting, and she also shares her goal progress every month, which always reminds me to check in with my own goals. In any area of life, a little bit of time spent on the web leads you to a wealth of resources and support. Look for motivation, not excuses. No matter what your goals, you are not alone in them. Identify them, write them down, say them out loud, share them, and work on them! And then come tell me about your success.

Happy (healthier and happier) New Year!

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Happy New Year friends, from Italia!

This was my first New Years in Italy and I was so excited to continue our holiday vacation once again in Venice. My husband and I had researched the festivities that went on throughout the night, the fireworks to scare away evil spirits, the old clothes and furniture that was dropped out of windows to make room for new things, and of course the romantic group kiss at midnight in San Marco Square. However instead of finding ourselves bundled up under the city of love’s moonlight, we were on the couch, individually wrapped in our Snuggies, watching Lost and popping Sudafed. That’s right – we were sick on New Years. We did get to see a few fireworks that went off throughout our town and I have to say – I did wear red undies which apparently brings good luck. We may have also had a glass or two of champagne (after we felt the Sudafed wearing off, of course). All in all our New Years was nothing compared to our anniversary in Verona or our Christmas in Venice… but that hasn’t stopped me from making a list of resolutions!

I know there are resolution haters out there, saying they always make them and always break them… but to them I say this: Why do you keep lying to yourself? Okay, actually, Oprah said that. When I was little or maybe a teenager. She was on one of her weight crusades and talking about how she was seeing a therapist who sounded like a quack but then she said that one liner and it has stuck with me since. Truly… why are you lying to yourself? I, for one, am not a good liar in the first place. I giggle or turn red or awkwardly stutter, even in the case of needing to keep a gift or surprise secret. I wish it wasn’t the case because I love being in on a good prank – but really, don’t trust me, I’ll blow your cover. So if I can’t lie at even the simplest things – why would I lie about the big stuff – like changing my life? And why, of all people, would I lie to myself? So this year, every year, every moment – if I say I’m going to do something, I’m going to do it.

On my personal blog I made a list of 10 resolutions I’d like to keep not only in 2012 but in life. The main one I wanted to talk about on My Military Life was #1 – Organize my finances. When I turned 18 I got a credit card. Everything – in life – went downhill from there. I wouldn’t know it until four years later though, after I had graduated college and landed myself in over $3,000 worth of credit card debt alone. Now, $3k may not seem like much at all but when you’ve never been taught what “interest” was and yours happens to be 23% … $3,000 turns into paying Old Navy for the REST OF YOUR LIFE. I not only had this bill nagging at me but also school loans and, ya know, had to eat. I went to my mom for help and of course she led the way… straight to the bank where we met up with her friend who helped me take out a loan. “Take this. Pay your credit cards. Cut them in half. Pay this off over the course of 3 years. Raise your credit score. Learn from your mistake. Never speak of this again.” I’m almost quoting to the word. This meeting changed my life. From then on, no matter if I was making $10k a year or $30k, I had my finances budgeted. I had an excel sheet that had everything organized – every loan, every bill, every pizza delivery (old college habits die hard, people). And then… I got married.

I don’t mean for there to be such a dramatic “dun dun dunnnn” pause after that statement but hear me out. I got married to a man who had equally been on his own for the past 7 years, who had equally been acquiring debt, but not as equally worried as I had been. Granted, there are some people in this world who are absolutely fine with living in debt as long as they can pay the minimum or more every time the bill comes along. I am here to tell you: I am not one of those people. When I was in credit card debt, I felt like no dollar I earned mattered because it was all going to some pair of stupid pants I bought 6 months ago. I like my money in my bank account. I like to see numbers, not horrid, red negative signs I had seen so many years before. My husband, while no negative signs thank God, has just… a different way of handling things: he handles them, I assume he handles them, all is well with the world. Well my friends – it’s 2012 and let me say, happy NEW year.

There has been so much transition going on this past year of marriage, moving, career loss, no friends or family around, etc that thinking of organizing “our” finances felt more like telling my hard working husband what to do with his money. I also know some people can be touchy discussing moo-lah but the way I’m seeing it is that I may not be able to have a job for the next 3 years being stationed overseas but I don’t think that means I should be blind to our financial situation, whatever that may be. Tonight I made up my fun excel sheet (who knew I was such a nerd, right?) and emailed my husband showing him how much money I had, what bills I had paid, what bills were left, and what I needed to purchase in the near future. I tried, as best and as nicely as possible, to let him know when he gets home from work – we’re doing the same thing for him! (Okay, okay… cue dun, dun dunnnn.) My hope is that once he sees his monies next to mine – loans, debts, needs, and wishes – he’ll realize that I could contribute to our family by organizing ourselves financially, and I pray he really appreciates it.

I elaborated on my number one resolution here at MML hoping that there are other military wives who have gone through the same thing and have some advice for us newlyweds! Talking about money can be touchy, especially if you’re talking to someone who is used to earning and spending for only themselves (and coming from someone who is used to doing the same!). I also hope you all take a second to truly focus on at least one part of your life this new year and make it better. You deserve it!

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Wondering how to make your New Year’s Resolutions stick?

When it comes to setting new goals and changing a behavior it can be hard to create and maintain momentum.  Zig Ziglar says, “motivation comes from doing”….which to me seems opposite of what I have always believed…but OK, I’m willing to try that.

Whether you are setting new goals this Jan or not, here are some tips to help you along the way.

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[via About.com]

If you want to make lasting changes, there are three things you can do to make your resolutions work all year long: Adjust your attitude, change your lifestyle and come up with a plan for success.

Adjust Your Attitude

If you have the wrong attitude about fitness, you’re already setting yourself up for failure. Most people look at exercise as:

• Punishment for bad eating
• An obligation
• Painful
• Time consuming
• Impossible to sustain over a long period of time
• Boring

If any of these sound familiar, how long do you think you’ll stick with your program? Nobody wants to do something painful, boring or obligatory. Before you throw yourself into weight loss, suss out your attitudes about exercise and figure out whether these attitudes are true or just lies you’ve been telling yourself for years. Then, try a different perspective and look at exercise as:

• A break from a stressful workday
• A way to boost energy and mood
• The only time you’ll have to yourself all day
• A chance to get totally physical and let your mind rest
• A chance to reward your body for working so hard
• A way to improve your quality of life immediately

And here are some more key points about exercise that you must understand:

1. Willpower won’t work. Willpower is for short-term success. Long-term success requires planning, discipline and finding ways to motivate yourself every day.
2. Motivation will not magically happen. What motivates you will change from day to day. You have to recommit to your goals each day, tweak them to fit changes in your lifestyle and attitude and find new ways to motivate yourself over the course of your life.
3. You will not always want to exercise and eat healthy. Even the most committed exerciser doesn’t always want to do it. Know that you will have to work on it every day.

Your next step is to adjust your lifestyle so you have the best chance of success.

Read more

[via About.com]

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