Health & Fitness
The Power of Goal Setting
During the past election, we've seen the power of goal setting. Whether you want to be Mayor, a School Committee member, or Councilor at Large, decide what you want, make a SMART goal and go for it!!
There is a passage in Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland that I often turn to when I am asked about goal setting. The passage describes a scene where Alice meets the Cheshire Cat, and looks to the Cat for help because she is lost:
"Would you tell me please which way I out to go from here?" "That depends a good deal on where you want to get to, "answered the Cheshire Cat.
"I don't much care," said Alice. "Then, purred the Cat, "it doesn't really matter which way you go".
Find out what's happening in Maldenwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
In order to achieve anything - whether to loose weight, climb a mountain or start a business - you have to know where you are going and how you are going to get there. In other words, even the most experienced hiker will get lost without a map.
Goals and goal setting are your maps to success. There are many books out there to help you set and achieve goals, but they all state goals must be "SMART" goals. SMART is an acronym for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timed.
Find out what's happening in Maldenwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
You need to know what you want, saying I want to loose weight is not as powerful as I want to loose 10 lbs. To make it a SMART goal, expand the statement to, "I want to loose 10 lbs, by January 1, 2012. Then, when January 1st rolls around you will know whether or not you reached your goal.
Goals are often referred to "dreams with a deadline". As the holidays roll around and we think about New Year's resolutions, decide that you will not be like Alice and wander aimlessly down any path; set a goal and decide where you will go.
Enjoy the journey.
