I love new year resolutions. I love the idea of planning out goals and having something to work towards. And I especially LOVE planning adventures for new year resolutions!
But I get it. Not everyone has the same thoughts. They set big goals for themselves, have ambition and can see the outcome…but then everything goes by the wayside come February.
Why is that?
Are they bad goals? Are the adventures for new year resolutions they plan faulted from the start?
No to both of those.
But there are things you can tweak when you plan adventures for new year resolutions that will set you up for success. They’re simple, and therefore, often overlooked.
Why most adventures for new years resolutions fail
You’re counting down the days to the start of the new year, fresh full of ideas to make next year the best ever!
Things start off great, you’re pumped, thinking this is it. This is the year you finally follow through on one of your new year resolutions.
But…then life gets in the way and you don’t know what happened. Oh well, maybe next year.
When we set our goals or new year resolutions, the general tendency is to be pretty vague. Does this sound familiar…
“This year I am going to travel more.”
Now, from a passerby’s standpoint, that sounds like a good goal.
But what does that mean? How do you quantify “more?” And what does “travel” look like to you? How do you know if you’ve actually reached your goal?
The problem with having a goal of adventures for new year resolutions is they’re not smart.
SMART goals are…smart
What is this whole “smart” thing? SMART is an acronym that you hear a lot in the business and goal world. When applied correctly, the principles help you to actually achieve your goals.
And in this case, having SMART adventures for new year resolutions will guide you towards living that adventurous life. Let’s break it down in the adventure world.
SPECIFIC – your adventure goal needs to be specific. This is the “who, what, where, when, how and why” part. Instead of saying your adventure new year resolution is “to travel,” name a specific destination. Or a festival you want to attend. A town you want to live in for a month. When you have a specific adventure goal in mind, you have something you can focus your energy on.
MEASURABLE – how are you going to be able to determine whether or not you’ve met your adventure goal? If “having an adventure” is on your resolution list, how do you know when you’ve had one? If your goal is to have an adventure by going to a new specialty market, you know you’ve accomplished that goal with a visit.
ACHIEVABLE – reality check time. Don’t set yourself up to fail. Is your adventure goal something you can accomplish in your selected time?
RELEVANT – how does your adventure tie into your life goals? Is it something that aligns with your values and purpose?
TIME-BOUND – having specific times designated to measure how far you’ve come on your goal keeps you on the path towards progression.
By applying the techniques of the SMART goal-setting ideology, you’re in a better position to reach your adventures that you planned with your new year resolutions, or really any other time of year.
how to actually plan adventures for new year resolutions
Now that we’ve figured out why adventures for new year resolutions fail and discussed the SMART concept, let’s talk about how to actually plan those adventures for your new year resolutions.
First, you need to figure out what it is that you want to do. And make it specific. For example, instead of “go to the beach often,” maybe say “visit 3 new beaches and spend half a day at each.”
Take a look at your bucket list.
Write down places that you’ve been to before that you would like to revisit. Maybe you didn’t get enough time in a particular part of the world and want to go back.
Look around at your hometown or see if there are any attractions nearby that you finally want to visit.
Think of it this way. If you were a teacher and assigning a task to your students, how would you be able to grade them? Set some specifics down so you can judge for yourself.
Second, write down your list. If it doesn’t get written down, it’s easier to forget. When you write down what you want to do, you have something tangible to look at and focus on. Put it on your bathroom mirror. On a post-it pasted to your computer screen. Make a vision board.
Third, go through the SMART acronym. Are you going to be able to know when you’ve completed your adventure? Fill out the who, what, where, when, why, and how. This will give you the structure you need to complete your goal.
Fourth, give yourself a timeline. Give yourself a “date to be completed by.” If your goal is to go on 3 major road trips around your country/state, consider going on one road trip every 4 months. This gives you time to plan, save up for, and enjoy the road trip before thinking about the next one.
And finally, put it into action. You don’t need anyone’s permission to have your adventures. It can be scary sometimes to plan an adventure for new year resolutions, because once it’s over, it’s over. It’s done.
But! That just means you have room to do more!
Do you plan adventures for new year resolutions? What has your experience been?
Sharing is caring! Please show some love by sharing on Pinterest, Facebook or Instagram! Thank you!
