Happy New Year one and all! Are you a fan of making New Year's resolutions? Do you keep them? Longer than a few weeks? What do they look like? How do they read? Something like this:

Quit smoking. Lose weight. Learn to knit. Spend more time with family. Exercise. Live life more. Get organized at work. Travel.

The New Year is a natural time to make changes in one's life. New Year. New start. New you. The issue is, that according to the U.S. News & World Report, 80% of the goals set for the New Year fail by February. That's daunting. There are many reasons that resolutions are not kept. There are also MANY reasons that resolutions succeed and are kept. If 80% fail, then 20% succeed in their goals, right? I mean, that is just mathematics.

So, what is the difference between those who succeed and those who do not? I learned years ago that there are ways to set goals wherein they are easier to keep, track, and achieve. Setting SMART goals is one way. SMART is an acronym for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Timely. Though, to be frank, if you do a search you might find other synonyms for these words as well.

Without a plan for setting goals, they can be harder to achieve. It might be easy to say, "I will get organized at work" but realistically, without specifics, how and what will you accomplish?

Maybe for work one might need to invest in software or planners, set time aside to reorganize the workspace, consult with your team to find the best way for workflow, etc.

Taking time to set up thoughtful goals and a plan to accomplish said goals should lead to great success in realizing the goal. Preparing emotionally as well as physically for success will also lead to the best chance of victory!