My non lent lent goals.

As you’re reading this, it’s March 5^th. So, we’re about two and a half weeks into Lent. I imagine that some of you are quite sick of going without whatever you gave up for Lent. And we’ve got almost a whole month to go.

Now, I’m not Catholic. I’m not a member of any faith that observes Lent. I’m Unitarian actually and was raised Mormon. Both of my great grandmothers were Catholic. Both went to church on Ash Wednesday and walked around with the ash on their foreheads. But I’ll repeat, I am not Catholic and do not actively practice Lent.

So, I didn’t really make a sacrifice for Lent. Here’s what I’m doing, to be clear.

I’m not eating any sugary snacks between now and Easter. I may have something sweet for breakfast, like a granola bar or a doughnut. I may have a cup of coffee in the morning. I may have a soda or a mixed drink (aka rum and coke) with dinner. I may not have candy, cookies, extra sodas, extra coffees, ice cream, baked goods or things like that.

I’m not doing this for any religious reasons. I’m not doing it because I don’t like how I look. I’m not doing it because I’m obsessed with my weight.

I’m doing it because I’ve been overindulging in sweets recently and I need to reign that shit in. And, because I have zero energy right now. Both of these things are probably due to the amount of stress I’ve been under and the work I’ve been doing. That’s no excuse, though, and I need to get this under control. (Seriously, in one day I ate two chocolate bars and a cupcake.)

I’m not telling you this because I think you should give up sweets. I’m telling you this because I think this goal has all of the trademarks of an attainable goal, so I’m using it as an example for you today. It’s a Smart goal. You remember what a Smart goal is, right? Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time Limited.

Specific- I know exactly what I’m not eating.

Measurable- I can easily tell if I’ve eaten something I shouldn’t.

Achievable- I’m not cutting out sweets altogether. Just cutting out the mindless sugar snacking all day long.

Relevant- I want to make this change for healthy reasons. I want to have more energy and not consume so much sugar.

Time Limited- It’s just until Easter.

I’m also telling you this because there’s never a bad time of the year to set a new goal. If you’ve fallen off the writing wagon, now’s a good time to get back on it. Take some time today, set a SMART goal, and get to it. See what you can do in between now and Easter.