Start, Continue, and Finish Strong.

Whether intentional or not, you are building habits; and that is the thought of the day.

As often as each New Year dawns upon us, so does the “New Year’s resolutions and goals” conversation follow swiftly and diligently without fail. Whether you have a full-fledged, bulletproof plan for all twelve months of the year or not; the whole topic, goal- setting, and following through can be quite daunting.

As your New Year begins, here are a few simple truths and tips to help you set great goals and build healthy habits. Let’s get to it!

1.) The Bigger the Goals, the Better the Goals.

This might be true where food is concerned (the bigger, the better), but when it comes to setting great goals and creating healthy habits, this might act as hindrance in the long run. At first, big goals are exciting, but soon after the hype wears off it gets pretty tiring and unsustainable which often leads to giving up on our goals.

How do you build a house? One brick at a time. How do you achieve a big goal? It’s simple, one small habit at a time. Sustainable, small habits plus time equals to a sustainable, healthy lifestyle over time.

2.) Set Lifestyle Goals, Not Seasonal Goals.

Now, I know what I just said about setting big goals, and a lifestyle goal does not only sound big, but almost impossible and theoretical. Here is what I mean by “lifestyle goal....

My definition of a lifestyle goal is: a goal that is easily integrated into your daily life, but hard enough to be pursued over a long period of time. For example; waking up earlier, physical exercise, improving a desired skill, and improving your character are all examples of simple, yet challenging lifestyle goals.

The challenge with seasonal goals is that they are just that, seasonal. Activities such as jogging weekly or practicing integrity can be foundational goals pursued over extended periods of time.

3.) Know When to Rest, but also When to Stop.

This simply comes by knowing your limitations as a human; namely time and energy. Provided that the reason as to why you have decided to stop is not driven by fear or laziness, it is well within your rights to choose another course of action. If you get to a point in the year where you realize that the goal you are pursuing isn’t worth it, just stop. Time is the most valuable commodity on earth, use it wisely.

As humans, we get a limited amount of energy every day, and the amount of energy available to us is directly tied to how much we rest. I heard a quote that goes something like this, “If you have no energy for today, that means you did too much yesterday.”

4.) Take Some Time and Appreciate Your Progress

Too many times have I had one bad day and let it spill into the following day(s). A lack of gratitude is neither healthy nor sustainable, because there will always be tough days in life, whether you like it or not. Gratitude opens doors within yourself and others, it builds bridges, and it results in a happier and more peaceful quality of life.

Gratitude provides perspective while on the journey, and guess what…an attitude of gratitude is a great habit to develop over time.

5.) Intensity over Extensity

Choose to do less, so that you can achieve more. Yes, that sounds contradictory, but one of the biggest challenges to setting great goals and developing healthy habits is ‘doing the most’. Being busy may look good externally, but once again, it is neither healthy nor sustainable, internally.

Choose to master a few things throughout the course year, as opposed to being a 'jack of all trades' with little to no mastery over anything. At the end of the day, the people who are best at what they do simply focus on fewer things over an extended period of time. As you set your goals aim for quality and mastery instead of quantity and eventual mediocrity.

6.) If You Do Not Set Goals that Does Not Mean You Are a Failure.

Whether you set goals or not, it does not determine your worth as a person. There may be pressure from motivational speakers or peers who seem to be “succeeding” in life due to always setting goals, but then at the end of the day, it does not determine your value as a person.

The purpose of goal setting is to establish clarity and tangible targets into one’s life, nothing more, nothing less. Do not succumb to the pressure of doing something just because everyone is doing it or because it is popular.

(My challenge to those who may struggle with setting new resolutions: Take stock of your own life, and if at the end of your assessment you are happy and at peace with the quality and quantity of your life, then by all means carry on. But in the case that you are not happy and at peace with your current position in life, setting goals might just be the change you need.)

As this New Year begins remember these two truths; whether intentional or not, you are building habits, and the year will only be as good as you decide and direct it to be.

Happy New Year everybody!