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Establishing your Baseline and Setting Goals

It’s one thing to set goals, it’s another to get started. That’s usually the hardest part! One easy way to embark on reaching those goals is to know your current baseline and where your foundation begins. Want to have a better handle on your short term or long-term financial goals? Are you looking to reach your target weight or decrease your risk of chronic diseases? Or are you interested in establishing a meditation practice to better balance your mental well-being? These are just a few examples of how baselines and healthy habits can help you reach success. The following five steps can help.

Determine Your Baseline

Understanding where you stand at this very moment in your life is the ideal starting point for a path forward. This baseline is your norm, your standard, for any progress. Start with a rough idea of your goals and then take an assessment. For example, complete a biometric screening (does your employee offer this?), evaluate your fitness level (are you a novice or a veteran?), and learn your lifestyle habits. Measuring and identifying patterns in your behavior will provide a better understanding of where you are and your bandwidth for where you are going.  

SMART Goals

Following your baseline, it’s time to set your SMART goals - Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. These create a clear framework that makes your wellness efforts more manageable and fulfilling. Write down these SMART goals and keep them somewhere where you will often be reminded of them. Example: rather than “eat healthy,” note “eat five servings of fruits and veggies, daily.” (Specific) Make this measurable by tracking your progress – keep a calendar of when and what fruit or veggie you consume. Be sure the goal is achievable and not out of reach – start small! – starting with one fruit and veggie daily and work your way up. Is this goal relevant, does it align with your overall objectives? Set a timeline to reach the goal (time-bound) and be sure to check in regularly to ensure you are able to reach it.  

Be Strategic

Mirroring the SMART goals you create, strategize and focus your efforts on what you can control. Not only will focusing on what you can control feel more attainable, it will help improve your experience in reaching those goals. Remember, it’s the journey, not always the destination. You might face some hurdles, in fact that’s normal, but these obstacles are chances to reference your strategy and stay on course.

Be Flexible

Hit a wall or your path to your goals took a sharp turn? No biggie. Readjust and adapt! This flexibility will not only help you get back on course, but it’ll also allow you to more easily accept when these curveballs happen. Skipped your usual Monday evening fitness class? Make it up later in the week. Drank too much sugary soda over the weekend? Be sure to replenish with lots of water. Don’t let setbacks derail your momentum. Simply refocus and keep moving forward. And be sure to celebrate small victories and acknowledge achievements along the way!

Monitor and Adjust

That baseline you created at the beginning is there for a reason. Regularly revisit it and reassess your progress and goals. Keep track of how you are advancing towards your goals by writing down, using an app, or creating a tracking system that works for you. Are you moving forward at a pace you are comfortable with? Do your goals still align with your overall well-being needs? Any challenges you’ve encountered? Can you pivot anywhere?  

Use your baseline to your advantage as a means of understanding where you are and where you want to go. From there, set clear goals and create a foundation for change along your wellness journey. Commit to yourself, your wellness, and your progress in order to achieve lasting, positive change!