Today is January 1, Part Deux

Anyone else remember those early ’90s comedies Hot Shots! and Hot Shots! Part Deux? Just me? No problem. I remember finding the second quite hilarious as a child – I’ll have to go back and re-watch to see if it gives me the same effect before I can recommend.

Returning to the present, New Years resolutions always start on January 1 (new year, new me, yada, yada, yada), so today is my renewal to my resolutions.

Side note: I don’t do New Years resolutions, and neither should you. Just start now. Whatever it is. Right now. With baby steps if you must, but start.

I’ve definitely made some noticeable improvements since last year, but I need to be more consistent. (It’s a theme, and a work in-progress.) I told you this blog would share the real journey complete with ups and downs, and this, while not a down per se, is more of a recognizing when things are getting off track and a renewed commitment to getting back on track.

At the time of this writing, two months have fully passed and we are beginning the third month of 2019. I swear it was just New Years. Is it an age thing that makes the days fly by?

Let’s take a quick look at how I’m doing and what small goals I’ve set for March to help get me back on track.

• Blogging: I have ideas on my blog notebook and they still remain mostly in my brain. Doesn’t do much bit of good there. March Goal: Get on a schedule, write in advance, and post at least 8 times this month.
• Fitness: I have been sick a bit, but I can do better when I am well, and not be so lazy. I’ve lost 4 pounds since the beginning of the year. March Goal: 40 oz. water daily, 6000 steps daily, eat breakfast daily
• Wellness: I have not been taking care of me like I should, and have been letting work stress affect my non-work life far too much. March Goal: Affirmation journal through the week (shout out to @poshplans on Instagram), and write in my journal daily at the end of the day to decompress.
• Financial: This has already been established as a marathon and not a race, but I need to do better about increasing my income. This year I have spent very little on planner supplies. Yay me. March Goal: Make $10 additional daily.

Considering where I was, I’m not that far off track, but I can easily see myself backsliding. This is not the time for that. If you take an honest assessment of yourself and see you may be sliding off course a bit, there’s no time like the present to straighten up. When deciding what you are going to focus on, make sure you are setting S.M.A.R.T goals.

First used by George Doran in 1981, SMART goals are:

• Specific – pick one (or a few things) to focus on.
• Measurable – have some criteria to know whether you met the goal.
• Achievable – something that you can do.
• Realistic – within your resources.
• Trackable, or Time-Oriented – give it a time frame.

Improving my finances is a good goal, but not a SMART goal. Making an additional $10 per day is a smart goal because it fits all of the criteria above. Will it help me toward the overall goal of financial improvement? Absolutely. But it is vastly more manageable than “improving finances.”

What are your SMART goals? Let’s put those baby steps to work!