Don't get me wrong, I love the idea of goal setting and improving ourselves each and every year. But, when majority of people have abandoned their resolutions by the time February rolls around it makes you want to try something new for a change. Here are 5 ways that you can set goals and work on self improvement without making a New Years Resolution!

1. Make a goal each month

Thinking ahead for an entire year can be daunting and overwhelming and sets you up for failure. If you forget to complete your goal one day you feel like you may as well just give up. By making a new goal for yourself on the first of each month it is much more manageable and will give you a sense of success every 30 days! It could be something like trying a new recipe every Monday, or going to the gym on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The more you can make and stick to these smaller goals the better you will feel and the higher chances there are to make it a long term habit!

2. Be realistic

If you haven't been to the gym in a year, it would be pretty unrealistic to make a goal to go to the gym everyday. Take the time to look at your schedule and see how much time you have to dedicate to these goals so you can make sure that they are reasonable to accomplish in the first place!

3. Make smart goals!

Smart goals are goals that define what success would look like. You should in your goal include a timeline that the goal will take place on, how long you will work on the goal daily or weekly, etc. You want your goal to be something that you can look back on and know that you accomplished! For example, instead of saying "I will eat healthier", make your goal something more like, "I will incorporate a serving of vegetables into my meals three times per week." Or, "I will eat a salad for lunch twice per week". These goals are ones you can easily accomplish and then build on from month to month. 

4. Know that there is no finite finish

Yes accomplishing a goal can be great! But if you really want to form a habit you don't want to solely focus on getting to the end. If you really want to be able to run a 5K that's great! But if once you run it you stop going to the gym and running altogether, did you truly accomplish your goal? When you make your goal think about how you want your life to look and base it off that.

5. Leave Room For Mistakes

They say it takes 21 days to form a habit and I believe it! If you don't fully accomplish your goal forgive yourself! It happens! The worst thing you could do is give up on your goal because you missed a day. Let yourself be human and you will find that without the added pressure of perfection you will do much better about getting to where you want to be!