It’s that time of year again!

The time when we all set goals for the new year... save more money, workout more, eat healthier! Has anyone ever been unsuccessful with their New Year resolutions?  Don't get us wrong, goal setting is great but let’s set some SMART goals this year to help keep us focussed, motivated and on track!

S - Make them specific! What does eating healthier mean really? Eating more salad? Eating fewer snacks? Drinking more water? The more specific you are, the easier they are to attain.

M - Make them measureable. Add some numbers to your goals. For example, rather than “I'm going to start running” say “I will run 10 minutes, 3 times a week.” This makes it easy to track how you are doing.

A - Set attainable goals. Are your goals attainable? Are you really going to run a marathon in the next two weeks if you haven’t been training? Can you commit to going to the gym daily? This step ensures that you’re not setting yourself up for failure. At the same time, don’t sell yourself short... you are capable of anything but take things one step at a time.

R - Have relevant goals. Is this something that is really important to you and something that you want to achieve? The more relevant it is to you, the more likely you are to achieve it.

T - What's your time horizon? Give yourself a time limit. If you say you’ll achieve something next year, you will have all year to procrastinate taking the first step. It’s important to have both short-term and long-term goals. With this combination you can plan to run a 5K in a month, a half-marathon in four months and a full marathon in six months. Achieving these short-term goals will keep you motivated for the long-term goal.

There is one important thing that setting SMART goals leave out...celebration! How are you going to reward yourself when you achieve your goal!?! A trip to the spa, a new pair of jeans, a night out with your spouse? Pick something that will help keep you motivated to stay on track.

Wishing everyone a happy and healthy new year and good luck with your goals! Let’s hear those goals in the comments below👇.