Effective Summer Resolutions

We’ve all heard of “New Year’s Resolutions” and probably have made quite a few in our lifetimes. And some of us have probably heard that making resolutions once a year is not enough, that we need to be more active and consistent in our goals. Yet we struggle to be as committed as those speakers ...We’ve all heard of “New Year’s Resolutions” and probably have made quite a few in our lifetimes. And some of us have probably heard that making resolutions once a year is not enough, that we need to be more active and consistent in our goals. Yet we struggle to be as committed as those speakers who tell us to look at and evaluate our goals every week, or heaven forbid, every day!

Well, here’s a stepping-stone that might be of great value to us: Summer Resolutions.

Here are some quick thoughts as to how Summer Resolutions can be so effective:
- Summer is half way through the year and a perfect time to reevaluate our New Year’s Resolutions
- Summer is a time when we’re feeling grateful, excited, and free-spirited, which is a great place to be when setting goals
- Many of us have more free time during the summer, time that our subconscious will utilize to strive for our goals, since we set them so recently
- Many of us take long trips during the summer, allowing our minds to have extended periods of time to think, and naturally think about the goals that we have set
- Some of us believe that goals are materialistic, and a fun-filled summer reminds us that goals of having fun, laughing, and enjoying life are as important as any other goal
- With long days in the summer, we just might find more time to work on our goals
- In the winter, we have just spent time with new family and friends, just ate lots of deserts at Christmas parties, may have traveled, may have an extra workload because of the holiday season, and just have spent a ton of extra money on Christmas presents - it’s not the best time to set goals when we’re at our worst

And most importantly, remember that a “New Year’s Resolution” defaults to be checked the following year. With a “Summer’s Resolution”, we will be tempted to check our success at the end of the summer, rather than waiting another complete year.

If you’re someone who has become frustrated or resigned because of your lack of success in “New Year’s Resolutions”, try a Summer’s Resolution. A Summer’s Resolution can not only make our summer, it may also make our year!

Making Summer Resolutions

Some SMART distinctions.

Goals should be written down and have the following SMART attributes:

Specific. We need to have hard numbers on our goals. However, this is not to be confused with being “precise.” It’s ok to have ranges of numbers. In fact, it’s better for the subconscious mind if we have a “minimum,” “target,” and “outrageous” goal set. That way, we have both the advantage of setting a high goal that we would love, and still be excited if we only achieve our “minimum.”

Measurable. This is so we will know whether our goals are being achieved or not. This is not to be confused with being “comparable.” Sometimes we set goals and then check and see how our friends, who may have similar goals, are doing. Goals are not meant to be compared with others. We want to compare our achievements with our own past.

Affirmative and Action-oriented. Our minds don’t like to stop old habits, but love to create new habits. This doesn’t mean that we need to be “achieve”-oriented and that all our goals should help us be more productive or successful. Goals can be about taking time off, having fun, living, laughing, and enjoying life.

Realistic. The subconscious mind will reject goals that are not realistic. However, “realistic” is not the opposite of “optimistic.” We can have optimistic goals that are also realistic. In fact, these are the best types of goals to have.

Time-sensitive. Without a due date, we would never return a book to the library. Note that “time-sensitive” doesn’t mean “time-constrained.” We’re allowed to go back to the library and borrow the same book again. So, let’s not feel guilty if we haven’t achieved a goal in a particular time-period. Let’s reset the goal and go for it again.