Setting Realistic Goals

"It doesn't matter how slowly you go as long as you don't stop."

-Confucius

If you're a habitual goal setter, your list of resolutions might be long and lofty. Yet in order to ensure success, the goals we set must be realistic. Otherwise, we'll have a hard time sticking with them in the face of life's obstacles. So before listing any more new year resolutions for 2013, I want to ask: are your goals too small? Too big? Well let me give you one secret: it's all about balance.

Begin by setting some easy-to-achieve goals that will get us going this week. This can include calling a friend and making a date, or going for a walk every day. Once your endorphins are flowing, head on over to the gym and set some goals for exercise. You may want to increase the number of times you attend the gym each week or add extra reps to your workout. Start by making small changes but make sure to increase them in the following weeks.

We shouldn't forget about those resolutions that require more time than we have—for example, learning something new like a language or musical instrument or starting another business venture. These are long-term goals that cannot be achieved overnight; don't let yourself get discouraged if these more time intensive goals don't come into fruition this week. It may take a couple weeks or even months to achieve them.

The key is to make sure to break down the goals into short-term, intermediate, and long-term objectives. Set your intermediate goals for the first week of the new year, which will keep you at top performance for the next several months. Then set your long-term goals for later in the year and ensure that you don't forget about them. You may also want to plan your intermediate goals for the following year.

As long as you have realistic goals, you won't be disappointed with your progress. And when you do accomplish those goals, set out to reach even higher ones!

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Conclusion

Congratulations! You've made it! Hopefully your New Year's Resolution has been achieved. Set the tone by keeping a journal to track your progress, and for extra motivation, save some of your best moments and post them online for all to see. Keep this up until the end of the year—you'll be surprised at how far you can go in such a short time.