New Year's SMART Goals and Habit Formation - How to Change your Evil ways! - Inner Vision Health and Wellness Karyn Lawson RMT INHC

“What the New Year brings to you will depend a great deal on what you bring to the New Year” – Vern McLellan

I’m just going to say it, I dislike the phrase “New Year’s resolutions”! It creates a sense of negativity and leaves me feeling like I am broken and with great determination I have to resolve to change my evil ways and turn that leaf! What does it even mean to turn a new leaf, anyway? There is all this energy as we enter the new year that we have to get back on the wagon and “for sure this is the year we will [fill in the blank)”.

Don’t get me wrong, I think the New Year is a prime time for evaluation and reflection. It is a block of time that feels measurable in our life and there is an opportunity to take stock of both our successes and our road blocks and manifest our future goals and desires. We can create a vision to work towards positive change and imagine the future we wish to walk into.

Where we often go side ways is in creating general blanket statements without an action plan with realistic and attainable goals. Goals allow us to take the big picture and break it down into smaller and manageable steps for success. Along the way we can check in, evaluate what is working optimally, identify our obstacles and pivot and re-set at any time. Life is a journey, after all, not a destination.

Common New Year’s resolutions

“This is the year I am going to…”

Get healthy.
Eat better and eat less junk food.
Exercise more.
Regulate my screen time.
Get more organized and better with my time.
Meditate more.
Drink more water.
Spend less and save money.
Lose weight.
Step out of my comfort zone and live life to the fullest.
Quit smoking or vaping.
Spend more time with family and friends.
Drink less alcohol.
Travel more or try something new.
Find work/life balance.

The bigger “WHY”

“Watch your thoughts; they become words. Watch your words; they become actions. Watch your actions; they become habits. Watch your habits; they become character. Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.” – Lao-tze

One thing I have adopted over the last few years is to choose a word or phrase to set the vibe of my up coming year. I often even choose a word for the intention of starting my day. For example for 2025 I have selected roots. After over 2 years of feeling unsettled and not fully transitioned from our life in nelson to our life in Victoria, I am craving a stable place to call my own so I can begin again to plant my seeds (both literally and figuratively). This requires us selling our property once and for all to free us from the interior and set us free to dig in our roots here on the island. This requires some grown up decisions! I have framed my goals around this aim and have many steps to fulfill this upcoming year to get rooted!

As you look forward into your future year, do you have a bigger intention you would like to manifest? Is there a word or phrase that captures what you would like to create? What resonates?

When you understand your bigger “why”, it can help fortify your commitment. What truly is the bigger picture for your goals and resolutions? Start with the general intention and then narrow it down.

Habit formation

“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose!” – Dr. Seuss

We consciously or unconsciously perform dozens of habits every day. From brushing our teeth to making our coffee to reaching for our less desirable cravings and addictions. Some habits are positive and necessary and we do them without thinking, others may come with a pause as we wrestle with the action we are about to take. Some habits are driven from physical needs and others emotional responses. Habits can be re]formed with attention and intention but some require more effort and are harder to shift, especially around substance use or habits with an emotional component. Even when we begin to transform negative habits, there is a propensity to revert back to the undesirable habit unless one is really well resourced and diligent. Substance addiction is an extreme example of this.

In general, habits consist of 3 steps:

The cue – the conscious or unconscious message to take an action.
The response – the action or activity that follows the cue.
The reward – the feeling or response that occurs after the action has been taken.

Marketing advertisers are masters of manipulation when it comes to cues. A simple demonstration of this is how grocery stores place last minute items, including candy bars, at the check out. You may have had no intention to purchase junk food, perhaps even vowed not to but the cue is there as you are checking your items and you mindlessly reach for a Snickers because, well, screw it, I want one!

Cue – chocolate bar on display.
Action – purchase bar.
Reward – sugar crack that lights up brain and spikes dopamine release!

Often our failure to avoid temptation creates an element of shame and we numb these feelings by doing it again or justify further action taken by believing that we already failed so no damage done in doing it again. If we are attempting to transform a habit or form a new one we need to interrupt the habit cycle by changing the response and reward. Consider you encounter a cue, at this point you can consider the response either a green light to reward or a red light to stop the pattern. This said, it is still necessary to feel a sense of reward and that could simply be feeling good about your decision. Often a cue that lacks a response and reward can lead to a craving for the reward. It may be critical to redirect with strong intention after a cue encounter. Sometimes it is necessary to avoid the cue all together until a more favourable habit is formed. When we can act deliberately and consciously, recognizing our triggers and emotional influence we can begin to understand our habits and move towards a growth mindset and away from habits that may not fully serve us.

When simply attempting to form a new habit, like starting your day with lemon water before carrying on with making coffee and eating breakfast, establish a cue that can act as a reminder that encourages you to follow through with your intentions.

SMART goal setting

“When it is obvious that goals can not be reached, don’t adjust the goal, adjust the action steps.” – Confucius

This is an acronym, not created by me, to help focus and dial in your goals for success. Establishing the bigger picture and then applying a system like SMART goal setting can help you reach your goals in a manageable and sustainable way that you can celebrate!

Specific – be precise. I will exercise 30 minutes both Tuesday and Thursday this week. I will add 1 piece of fruit to my diet every second day. I will turn off my screen time at 9pm every-night through the week. Etc.
Measurable – I will start with 2 days this week and work my way up to 4 days a week over the next 3 months, adding a day every second week.
Attainable – choose goals that are small and incremental that you can reach successfully. Attempting to run a marathon in a month with no training is unlikely to happen but running 5 kilometres may be reachable.
Realistic – understand your limits and make goals that you can actually fulfill. Declaring to eliminate all junk food and sugar from your diet may be a lofty goal, perhaps consider a 90/10 philosophy to leave some wiggle room!
Timely – set daily, weekly, monthly and seasonal goals that you can work towards. Consider revisiting your goals every 3 months and assess your successes and roadblocks. Take the next steps from here when you have met the goal, either striving for another goal or maintaining the habit change you have shifted.

What is getting in your way?

“You’ll never plow a field by turning it over in your mind” – Irish proverb

There are many factors that could influence the success of our goal setting and habit transformation. In the process of creating SMART goals, take into consideration some of the road blocks that may slow you down or even halt your progress if you aren’t prepared to manage them. Consider what life line your present self could throw your future self to keep you resourced! Your future self will thank you! Here are some potential barriers:

Unpredictable circumstances and added stressors.
Seasonal shifts in activities.
Holidays and special occasions.
Illness, physical limitations and disability.
Travel
Finances.
Mental health and grief.
Lack of motivation and disinterest.
Failing to meet goals or goals too challenging to meet.
Cravings and addictive behaviours.
Over riding emotional responses.
Lack of reward or unfulfilling outcomes.
Too busy with other distractions.
Got off track anyway.
Lack of discipline and self regulation

Tips to success

“Hindsight is the best insight into foresight” – Unknown

Setting daily, weekly, monthly and even seasonal goals under the SMART model.
Track your progress and explore your road blocks.
Celebrate your successes.
Pivot when necessary when goals aren’t being met, re-evaluate and re-set.
Place reminders and alarms in your calendar.
Add things in rather than take things out, this is referred to as crowding out. For example, instead of 2 cookies, have one cookie and a piece of fruit.
Find your passions and do things you enjoy instead of forcing yourself to do things you don’t. For example if you don’t like heavy cardio, do yoga, weight training or a daily walk instead.
Keep trying new things to find the right fits.
Don’t be so strict with your goals that you create a state of deprivation, this model often fails.
Always forgive your transgressions and get back on track, remember you don’t have to be perfect all the time.
Plan ahead and be organized in meeting your daily goals.
Weave your short term goals into your long term life style vision. Often short term exercise challenges and diet fads can inspire new habits but often we resort back to old patterns after the challenge is complete with little to no significant changes in behaviour.
Find a buddy system or people you can share your goals with to help keep you on track and accountable
Surround yourself with like minded people.
Be consistent and follow through
Find the courage to say no, create boundaries especially for yourself!
Don’t give up, if you get off track, bring it on back! Again and again and again as you need!

Remember you can always re-evaluate, re-direct and re-connect with your goals every day and any time. Take into consideration some of the other pieces of your life that may need attention in order for an optimal shift to occur as you work towards your goals. For example limiting screen time, more structure, better sleeping routines , etc.

Keep in mind that wellness is a system of moving parts and sometimes one of those parts may throw a curve into your good intentions. Bring it on back every day if you need to. If you aren’t reaching your goals, re-evaluate them and reset where necessary. Make it a smaller more manageable step and just keep going!

I often suggest to massage clients to start rebuilding strength with a 1 pound weight with 1 set and 1 repetition. If needed, start there. Just do something! There is no shame in starting small, the tragedy is not starting at all!

“Be like a tree; stay grounded, connect with your roots, turn over a new leaf, bend before you break, enjoy your unique natural beauty and keep growing” – Unknown

New Year’s SMART Goals and Habit Formation – How to Change your Evil ways!