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Happy New Year everyone!

Can you believe that 2017 is here?

I, for one, am pretty glad that 2016 is over. 2016 was a really tough year, personally. At the beginning of 2016, my grandmother passed away unexpectedly. I never expected to start off the year attending a funeral. Just a few months later, in April, my aunt also passed away from her long battle with breast cancer. Sheesh. 2016 started off really rough.

And it seems like 2016 was just a really weird year for a lot of people. A bizarre and divisive election, the passing of so many beloved icons, and this strange air of uncertainty.

I don’t know how 2017 is going to turn out, but I sure hope that it is better than 2016.

One of my favorite things I like to do at the beginning of a new year is write out some goals.

Resolutions or Goals?

Over the years, I’ve learned that New Year’s Resolutions aren’t the best way to create change. Why? Resolutions are easy to break. Resolutions are easy to give up. It feels like if you mess up once on your resolution, you should just give up trying.

The most common New Year’s Resolution is about losing weight. People decide to “eat better” and “exercise more” but as soon as they are tempted with food or miss a workout for whatever reason, it can feel discouraging and easier to throw in the towel

Goals, however, while related to resolutions, feel different. I’m not sure what it is.

You can have long-term goals, short-term goals, and anything in between. Create smart goals for yourself.

For myself, I’ve set up different categories of goals that I’d like to accomplish throughout 2017.

Some of those categories include: personal goals such as relationship and health goals, and business goals such as education, business administration, editing, portraits, and financial goals.

Create SMART Goals

You may have heard of this before, and I’m going to reinforce it. SMART goals are the best goals if you want to accomplish them!

So how do you create SMART goals? Each letter of smart stands for a quality of your goal.

S – Specific – your goal should be as specific as possible – what is your goal? How often or how much? When will it take place?

M – Measurable – How will you measure your goal? Measurement will give you specific feedback and hold you accountable.

A – Achievable – Goals should push you, but it is important that they are achievable. Are you goals attainable?

R – Realistic – Is your goal and timeframe realistic for the goal you have established?

T – Timely – Do you have a timeframe listed in your SMART goal? This helps you be accountable and helps with motivation.

Now that you have some structure to create SMART goals for yourself, what are some of your goals for 2017?

Your goals may include things related to getting into a specific college, attaining a certain score on the SAT or ACT, or perhaps it’s a list of things you’d like to do with your best friends before you head your separate ways.

Whatever the case made be, create smart goals and crush 2017!