Happy 2023! I hope you had a good holiday (whatever you celebrate), and your New Year’s celebration was everything you wanted!

It’s that time of year where everyone sets goals for themselves and “resolutions.” (I say every year how much I don’t like that word). Resolutions are “I resolve to do this,” but to me, it doesn’t feel like any actions are being done besides just the promise to be better. But when you lose the resolve, then what? How do you keep going? How do you find strength to keep pushing when it’s hard or met with resistance?

So this year, when I set up goals for myself, I did them in SMART format (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-based). If I haven’t already done so, at some point I’ll make a post about SMART goals.

What I really want to focus on for today’s post of those goals is the M and the A (Measurable and Attainable).

A Measurable goal is a goal that you can track and actually see your progress. A lot of people claim they want to be healthier in the new year (Hey I’m definitely one of them), but how do you show that? Do you weigh yourself? Do you track your food intake? Are you tracking exercise? Any option is fine, but you have to make sure that you can measure how you’re on track for this goal you’re setting.

And A. Attainable. The question I always ask with this one is “Is this goal realistic?” You probably won’t get a black belt this year if you’ve never taken a martial arts class before. That’s unattainable. It’s not realistic for you to set a goal for reading if you hate reading. I personally don’t enjoy running, so why would I set a goal to run a marathon?

I’m not saying you can’t set goals for yourself. I have. But start where you’re at. The term “New Year, New Me” is thrown around a lot. While it’s fine to better yourself, you also need to understand who you are and where you’re at. If you want to make a change in your life, great! Go for it! But start small. Start realistic.

One of the goals I set for myself this year is to read at least one book a month. Now can I read more than that? Easily. I love reading. In fact, I’ve already finished a book this month. But I’ve never set an actual reading goal for myself. So I’m starting realistic.

Goals should be just slightly out of reach without having to change everything about yourself. If you don’t push yourself, you’ll never grow. But your goals shouldn’t be so far away that you can never get there either.

Start where you’re at. Look to be better. But you don’t have to completely change yourself. It’s okay if it’s not a new you. But make it a better you this year!