It’s that time of year again where we evaluate what happened the previous 365 days and start planning for what we want in the new year. Writing New Year’s resolutions have become a part of that on many different levels.
Here are some tips to help you write & keep your resolutions/goals/affirmations…
How to Write Your New Year’s Resolutions
Just like setting our goals, you will want to follow the S.M.A.R.T. system. You will want to create specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and timely resolutions.
S – Specific
When writing your resolutions you want to be as clear and defined as possible. Resolutions are set with the clear intention of taking steps to reach a specific journey which will keep you motivated. If you set vague or generalized resolution, they do not allow you to stay focused on the task at hand.
Example: I want to play college golf and receive college scholarship offers by my junior year of high school.
M – Measurable
Setting resolutions that can measure your degree of success is very important – this will keep you accountable while tracking your progress. Always include specific numbers or dates so that you celebrate your success when you meet your deadline. Measurable resolutions in golf are very common and can range from lowering your overall scoring average to bettering your putting by two shots a round by a specific time.
Example: Decrease scoring average in the next six months from 76.4 to 75.2. This goal can be measured by playing multiple rounds of golf and keeping your statistics. Numbers don’t lie.
A – Attainable
Are your resolutions achievable? Resolutions must be realistic and achievable for progress to occur. If your resolutions aren’t realistic, you are giving yourself a sense of false hope which will only diminish your confidence. Golf can be a tricky sport and having goals that can be reached is crucial. That being said, resist any urge to set goals that are too easy. Set resolutions that will require you to work hard while also bringing you satisfaction while conquering.
Example: Contact 25 coaches with a well constructed email, current tournament stats, and media kit.
R – Relevant
Setting relevant resolutions makes you responsible for your own success. Make sure your resolutions move you in a positive direction while also challenging you. When setting resolutions – make sure they matter to YOU. While support from your family, swing coaches, teachers and friends is important, resolutions are set and accomplished by you. Relevant resolutions must match your timetable and efforts.
Example: Do I want to play Division 1 golf and am I willing to put in the time and effort to make that happen?
T – Timely
Every resolution needs a deadline. Having an end date will allow you to focus on working towards your big goals while completing small tasks along the way. You need to be able to celebrate the small victories while reaching for the stars. Having both short term and long term resolutions, especially in the golf world can be challenging – but setting time bound resolutions will keep you accountable while also prioritizing your final objective.
Example: Set up a golf based Instagram account and post once a week.
How to Keep Your New Year’s Resolutions
A lot of people think that setting the resolutions is the easy part. Keeping them and staying true to the goals you have set for yourself throughout the whole year can become quite difficult. Here are some tips to help you keep your New Year’s resolutions.
Talk About It
Don’t keep these New Year’s resolutions a secret. Talk to your family members or friends about these resolutions so that they can be there to support you or help you with whatever you may need in order to accomplish these goals/resolutions.
Reward Yourself
Celebrate your success by treating yourself to something you enjoy that doesn’t contradict your goals that you have set. It is okay to treat yourself for your success.
Track Your Progress
Keeping track of your progress is incredibly important especially with your long-term resolutions. Little wins are important with these resolutions so keeping track of your progress will help you stay on a path toward your goals.
Partner Up
Just like talking about your resolutions can help with keeping and accomplishing them throughout this new year, partnering up with your resolutions can help you with being help accountable and having someone to go through this process. Find a friend or family member with the same values to help.
We hope that you were able to learn something about setting New Year’s Resolutions. For more posts like this one, check out our blog here: Path Fore Success Blog. You can also follow us on Instagram & Twitter for more.
