Creating S.M.A.R.T. New Year’s Resolutions

Panelists: Laurie Veillette, PsyD – Clinical health psychologist.
Rebecca Beisswenger-Maxfield, Owner and Founder of OneLove Lifestyle Consulting and “Loved”
Natalie Jones, UVAC Wellness Consultant, Nutrition & Mindset Coach, Yoga & Fitness Instructor

For this week’s Wellness Wednesday, I am so grateful to be able to share with you all tips and tricks from our panelists on what S.M.A.R.T. goals are, and how to make them sustainable.


What are SMART goals? 

S- specific & simple 

M – measurable & meaningful, manifest it

A-  as if now, achievable 

R- realistic, responsible 

T – timed & toward what you want 


One template to create a SMART goal was shared to us by Natalie: It is now the month, day, year and I (full name) have accomplished _________ (the goals)

  • Ex. It is now Saturday February 5th 2022 and I, Natalie Jones,  have stopped eating late at night after 9pm. 

Tips on staying motivated with your goals and resolutions: 

  • When faced with a challenge, ask yourself: 
    • What assumptions or rules am I coming into this goal with? 
    • Is it helpful to you? 
      • EX: Your goal is to rid yourself of sweets in your diet. A co-worker celebrates his/her birthday with cake in the break room. You eat two pieces during lunch, then decide the day is wasted so why bother.
        • Ask yourself – is eating no sweets a realistic goal?
        • Is thinking: the rest of the day is wasted; I’ve failed; what’s the point… helpful to you?
    • What can you learn from that experience?
    • What can you do moving forward? 
  • Normalize challenges and slip-ups. It happens to the best of us! 
  • Approach goals flexibly and compassionately. 
  • Reward & reinforce yourself – how are you going to pat yourself on the back ?? Change is hard! Make it as fun and pleasant as possible!  
    • A manicure?
    • New running shoes or workout gear?
  • Track & celebrate ALL of your progress. 
  • Make it fun & make it easy. If working toward your goal feels like a chore you may find yourself less committed to following through. 
  • Try to incorporate something you enjoy into your goal. 
    • Ex. if you like being social and want to increase your exercise explore finding a work-out buddy.
  • Add or subtract “Friction” to make goals easier to achieve 
    • Add friction to make something more difficult.
      • Ex. If you want to decrease a behavior like late-night snacking, move your potato chips to the highest shelf. The few extra steps may give you enough time to question if you’re actually hungry.
    • Decrease friction to make something easier.
      • Ex. If you want to increase a behavior like drinking more water, consider the container you are using. If it’s pleasant to look at, easy to transport and a larger size you may be more likely to drink more as you cut out an extra step of walking back to the sink to get more water.
  • Add new habits to things you’re already doing. 
    • Ex. You’d like to increase the amount you meditate. Begin meditating while cooking in the kitchen. 

CONNECT your goal/ resolution with your WHY – remind yourself why you’re doing this! 


If you would like to see the video of our discussion group exploring what SMART goals are, why we use them and how to maintain them please email shelby@cclyme.org.



If you or someone you know is struggling, please reach out for help. These are two available resources:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
Crisis text line:  741741


Laurie Veillette, PsyD
Laurie Veillette, PsyDCCL Board Member
Licensed Clinical Psychologist with specialized training in health psychology
Rebecca Beisswenger-Maxfield
Rebecca Beisswenger-MaxfieldOwner and Founder of OneLove Lifestyle Consulting and “Loved”
OneLove LIfestyle is a professional organizing and sustainability consulting company. We specialize in organizing your home, office and promoting overall wellness. We are committed to helping you find balance in being sustainable, and teaching to have less in your home with reusable products that are good for you and the environment. Working with you and your budget we can assist in finding more space in your current home, or if you are looking to buy and are just a little unsure if it will work we can consult with you and show you how that home can offer you all the space you need.
Also specializing in helping you and your family finding products that are more environmentally friendly, and getting you away from those single use products.
When considering placing your home on the market, staging is a great option to edit your space making it more neutral for potential buyers. Essentially creating more bang for your buck with simple modifications and editing the space. We help you figure out what and where things should go to help the home feel bigger, organized and fresh.
Let us help you find your inner calm. Find unity in your home. Find bliss in the peace that you created. Tailoring what you want to accomplish at your pace, and what works
for your schedule. We offer our services online or in person.

From: https://www.facebook.com/OneLove-Lifestyle-Consulting-103523628630879

Natalie Jones
Natalie Jones
Wellness Consultant
Nutrition & Mindset Coach
Yoga & Fitness Instructor
802-249-6562
she/her/hers

If you have a wellness themed topic you would like to share or learn more about, and/or blog/vlog about as an expert in a health/wellness related field, please reach out to shelby@cclyme.org. 

Shelby Wood
Manager of Program Development
CommunityCare of Lyme
Shelby@cclyme.org
802-468-7776