With 2021 in the rearview mirror, and 2022 rolling right along, I thought today would be a good idea to talk about your plans for the upcoming year. Whether you call them expectations, goals, or even resolutions, each of us has things we want to see happen over the next twelve months. January is a great time for a fresh start, though today I want to put a different spin on what happens when you break your New Year’s resolutions. As it turns out, there’s a better model that I call the AIM SMART method which I think will help you meet (or even beat) your 2022 goals.
Actually, it’s time to break your New Year's resolutions
Don’t worry if you’ve already fallen off of the proverbial horse with your 2022 plans. In fact, regardless of whatever you want to see happen this year, I want to encourage you to break your New Year's resolutions today.
Mind you, I don’t mean you should abandon them entirely. Rather, I want you to reevaluate each of the expectations you set for yourself. Are they sustainable? Do they have clear, concise timeframes and measurable results? Better yet, do you have steps laid out to help you achieve your expectations?
My purpose today isn’t to critique any choice or path you’ve landed on for 2022. Instead, I want to help you refocus them by applying the AIM SMART model I mentioned a moment ago.
SMART Goals
So what is AIM SMART exactly? To help you understand how to apply it to your 2022 goals, we’re going to break down the acronym for the model first. Let’s start with SMART.
In the business world, the term SMART Goals typically means you’ve determined if each is:
Specific;
Measurable;
Attainable;
Relevant, and;
Timely
Let’s assume you work in sales. A simple goal for 2020 is, “I want to sell more.”
Nothing in that statement fits a SMART Goals model. A better goal would be:
“I want to sell 3 more cars by January 31st than I sold last January (which was 10 cars) because my manager has given us an incentive for every car we sell over last year.”
It’s Specific (cars), Measurable (3), Attainable (maybe?), Relevant (the incentive), and Timely (by January 31st).
AIM: Acceptable, Ideal, Middle of the Road
AIM applies to any kind of goal, whether personal or professional. The model helps you break your goal down into smaller, more achievable milestones that you can build upon over time. With AIM SMART, failure is not an option! You build upon your success, building better habits from day one and growing with each passing week.
For example, it’s pretty common to start a new exercise routine on January 1st. Unfortunately, we often set ourselves up for failure by AIMing our goal too high.
Is it beneficial to exercise 5 days per week? Of course. Is it Attainable? That depends. If you haven’t worked out at all over the past decade, a goal of 5 days per week right off the bat is (most likely) setting yourself up for failure.
AIM can help you set realistic expectations and the minimum bar for success today with aspirations for where you eventually want to be. So, for example:
Acceptable: 1 day per week
Ideal: 5 days per week
Middle of the road: 3 days per week
With AIM SMART, failure is not an option! You build upon your success, building better habits from day one and growing with each passing week.
Getting back on track
Looping back to something I said earlier, it’s pretty common to break your New Years resolution within the first week or two of the year. If you have, that’s okay.
If you haven’t, I want you to apply the AIM SMART model to it. And, if you discover your goal or resolution was unrealistic, break it today and start over.
Whether it’s getting fit, closing more deals, finding a new career, or earning that well-deserved promotion, AIM SMART can (and will) help you set more realistic expectations for yourself.
Of course, if you need help with this process, I’d love to speak with you. Contact me to set up a time to connect! We’ll sit down, look at your goals or New Year's resolutions, and decide whether it’s time to redefine them, break them, or set new ones using the AIM SMART model!
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