should you have goals or resolutions?

Every approach of a New Year brings conversation about making goals or resolutions for the New Year.  

There are statistics that show making goals and setting them help if they are S.M.A.R.T.  And of course the definition of S.M.A.R.T. has various takes on it (specific, measurable or meaningful, action oriented or attainable or accountable, reasonable or realistic, touchable or timed sensible or timely).  They say if they are not S.M.A.R.T. then they are not going to work.

Then you see articles, blog posts, video's created that tell you why resolutions fail and they should be called goals.  Then you see articles, blog posts, and video's why you should call them goals and not resolutions.  And then you see articles, blog posts, video's about why you shouldn't have goals you should have a theme, a word for your year.

Everybody has an opinion about everything.  Sometimes I absolutely get tired of everyone's opinion when what I want to know is what works, what is tried and true, what will give me the results I want.  But then I have my own opinion, so I should not be tired of yours I guess, right?

My friends sometimes make fun of me for my goals and give me a hard time. I think sometimes my goals scare them.  I think sometimes they since they can't or don't make goals so they can't relate to me making goals.  I think sometimes they make them feel bad.  I think sometimes they feel all my life is is full of goals.  I think sometimes they are just living and not being intentional with their life so goals are not apart of their day and focus.  I think that some people are scared of making goals because then they feel like a failure if they don't make them.  I think some people find making or having goals as someone who is a big talker.  I think there are probably lots more reasons why that I might not even have considered.

I have always been goal oriented.  Is this just part of my personality?  Or did it truly only stem from my training?  I am not sure, but I know I thrive on having goals.  I want to do better at my goals.  I want to learn more about having goals and how to be effective at them.  So I am doing Michael Hyatt's program this year called BestYearEver where he has a 5 day program on goal structure.  I also did a conference call on New Years Day regarding how to have more clarity and focus this year with Gerald Rogers.

But in the midst of this, I have had the question:  My focus the last year has been to move away from having to have a list of boxes to check off and tasks to complete and live in the moment.  Realize I am enough.  In my quest to simplify my life, is making goals more or less complicated?  Does making goals make me have more things I have to do?  Does it make me feel like I am enough or does it squelch that?

This I don't know.  But I promise, I will be considering it as I get coaching on creating and learning about goal structure that creates clarity and focus.