How To: New Years Resolutions!

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Happy New Year to you my lovelies! I hope 2024 was good to you and you’re ready to explore the opportunities 2025 will present! Thank all of you for your support in this endeavor.  Born from impulsiveness, I plan to reel in this blog and water it into something great. I have several things planned for it, at least for January, and hope you all continue to be here for the ride. 

With that being said, let’s get into the subject for today.

I know you all have heard and made resolutions for yourself at the start of the new year. “New Year, New Me!” we like to say. But, speaking from personal experience, it can be hard to meet these goals for numerous reasons. Not enough time, lack of confidence and accountability, etc. In this post, I’ll be sharing some of mine and some ways in which you can keep and fulfill them.  

What is a SMART goal?

SMART is an acronym used for setting Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound goals. To be honest, I’ve never used this framework before and have only recently heard of it in depth. (Thanks Nursing School!) After studying and applying it last semester, (in my humble opinion) I believe it can work well for setting yourself up for success when deciding on your New Year’s resolutions. 

Specific

  1. The first step to making a SMART goal is to make it specific. Lay out what you would like to make happen in a good amount of detail.
    1. Bad: I want to improve myself.
      1. What exactly do you want to improve? Your mind? Body? Soul? 
      2. How, when, where will you improve yourself?
    2. Good: I want to improve my ability to study for my Nursing exams.
      1. You may want to improve several other parts of yourself, so by being specific, you can lay out a long path using the other steps. 

    Measurable

    1. The next step to making a SMART goal is to make it measurable. How will you measure the amount of progress, or lack thereof?
      1. Bad: I want to improve my ability to study for my Nursing exams.
        1. Okay, cool? What are some steps that can help you reach this goal? You can’t jump from making 70s to 100s by simply stating your goal. 
      2. Good: To improve my ability to study by first studying all the definitions on my concept map.
        1. Now, when you meet up with you friends and you’re not sure what’s going on, you’ll know you haven’t made much progress on this specific, measurable goal. 
    2. Its also important to consider how you will track your progress. Will you use a notebook list? Google Sheets is what I use personally. 

      Achievable

      1. The next step is to make your SMART goal achievable, or attainable. With what you have now (skills, time, resources, etc.), are you able to reach this goal? More importantly, is it realistic?
        1. Bad: I will be able to score perfectly on all of my exams.
          1. This goal is not achievable considering that your grades weren’t good beforehand and you haven’t made an effort to change that. 
        2. Good: To get better scores on my exam, I will study my concept map in my free time. 

        Relevant

        1. The next step is to make your SMART goal-relevant. How does your current goal relate to your broader objectives? What is this goal helping you achieve? Why is it important?
          1. The above example of, “To get better scores on my exam, I will study my concept map in my free time,” falls in line, or is relevant, to your original goal which was to improve yourself.

          Time-bound

          1. The final step to making your goal SMART is making it time-bound. When do you want to be able to see the fruits of your labor? To complete the goal? In a week? A year?
            1. Setting a deadline on your goals can help you determine what else needs to be done in the mean time.
            2. It also recognizes that goals can be long and short-term. 
            3. Also remember to think realistically when picking deadlines. 

            Examples

            To further help you understand SMART goals, I will share a few of my own resolutions for the New Year. 

            Goal: My art Instagram followers will reach 200

            S – I want to grow my followers on my art Instagram to 200

            M – I will check my follower account

            A – I already have 100 followers and the count is growing every month

            R – I love making art and want to share my love of it with similar people

            T – I’d like to have 200 followers by the end of 2025. 

            Goal: I will gain a solid fan base for my music. 

            S – I want to grow my music fanbase 

            M – I will check how many views/listens I get on streaming platforms

            A – I have music out already that people have been drawn to

            R – I enjoy making music and have something to say

            T – I’d like to release my debut mixtape on my 25th birthday, so by then. 

            Goal: Finish the first draft of my book

            S – I want to turn my idea into a novel

            M – I want to spend at least 3 hours on it every day

            A – Although in Nursing School, I have downtime at work and there summer and winter breaks 

            R – I’ve always wanted to become an author

            T – I’d like to be able to publish this book by the end of my Nursing School adventure (May 2026 baby!)

            Things To Keep in Mind

            1. Keep it simple. It would be easier to begin using this framework for shorter-term goals to get used it before diving all the way in. You also don’t want to overwhelm yourself with unattainable goals. 
            2. Treat yourself. You finish the first three chapters of your book? You might have gotten a 95 on your Nursing exam. No matter the case, its important to reward yourself not just for satisfaction, but for motivation. 
            3. Ask, “Why?” Why is this important to you? Why are you doing it? What’s the bigger picture? This also helps with motivation, as working towards something without inspiration can quickly get old. 
            4. Mistakes make you human. Don’t be so hard on yourself with outrageous, strict way to obtain your goals. This can help you lose motivation and overall confidence. 
            5. Accountability (partner). Being able to hold yourself accountable for your actions can motivate you to be your best and hold you to completing the goals you have for yourself. Sharing your goals with someone you trust is also a good way to do this, especially if they are along on the journey with you to provide extra support!

            Thank you so much for spending some time with me. I hope this post will help you give your resolutions a good whooping! It was great seeing you again!

            Remember to have a good day!

            With love, 

            Minajhadore <3

            New here? Check out some of my old posts! SPOOKYSEASON

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