TAMPA, Fla. — A big part of any New Year celebration is figuring out the resolutions or goals you want to reach. Tampa Bay Area experts are sharing some advice on setting and sticking to your goals.
Whether it's hitting the gym, having a healthier diet, or spending more time with family, people across the Tampa Bay area are ready to ring in 2024 with resolutions big and small.
"I'm actually excited to save some money, cutting down on some costs, like Starbucks," said Gabriela Myers.
"So far, I'm really revisiting and reflecting back on important things to me, which is primarily family," said Kamal Hamed.
Yet setting a goal on day one and actually sticking to it can be a tough task all on its own.
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"Sometimes we set these goals that are really unrealistic, we pressure ourselves, and then we get to the end of the year, and we realize we didn't accomplish much in one year," said Stephanie Moir.
Moir, a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, shared recommendations on how people can set expectations when it comes to New Year's resolutions, starting with SMART goals.
SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Timely.
Moir said you want to be as specific as possible, and you should also try to find a way to measure your progress.
"A is actually Attainable, so you want something that's not going to be a giant task. You want to do like baby steps towards an actual accomplishment of this bigger goal," said Moir.
Experts also said to make sure the goal is relevant to you in a set time frame.
"As you have something small, you actually gain more motivation the more you're able to accomplish and kind of chip away at this goal rather than setting yourself up for something monumental that you may not be able to accomplish at first, then you kind of start to lose that motivation," said Moir.
