Friday, December 31, 2010

Senioritis On Goals

Is it more important to hit goals or to set goals? We have heard this question asked many times, so let's do a quick experiment (we love experiments).

Click the center of the target:



Try again:



Which was easier?

As important as it is for us to hit our goals it is more important for us to set them in the first place. As simple as that sounds and as silly as this experiment makes it seem, it's impossible to hit a target that isn't there.

We're just hours away from watching a big ball drop from the sky in Times Square, eating, kissing some loved ones, toasting to health, happiness, and success in the new year, and making some resolutions (not necessarily in that order of course). So, with that being said, in a last minute attempt to add some value to 2010 we give you our take on goals.

Goals

Far too often we find ourselves working towards fuzzy goals. We have done a bit of studying on the topic and no matter who the author or speaker is there's one common theme; goals need to be clearly defined. Experts on the subject* also recommend that goals are visible and written out several times daily.

SMAC

We like to keep things simple so when it comes to goals we like to follow the acronym smac. No, not smack like Adam West as Batman popping the Joker in the face. This smac is a bit different but when used properly can pack just as big a punch ;)



SMAC is an acronym that stands for specific, measurable, attainable, and challenging. Year after year, the most common goals and New Year's resolutions seem to center around health so let's take a quick look at how smac works using a health related goal.

Specific

I want to get in better shape in 2011.

When the clock strikes 12 and 2010 ends, millions of people will make this pledge. While better health is something we should all strive for, how specific is this goal?

If I lose 5 pounds will I be in better shape? Is it possible that I could gain 5 pounds and be in better shape (increase muscle mass and lower body fat)? While it's a great goal it lacks specificity.

A more clearly defined fitness goal could be something along the lines of: In 2011 I will lower my body fat percentage.

Measurable

As mentioned above, it is very difficult to hit a goal that lacks specificity. 'Better shape' is not necessarily easy to quantify or measure; body fat percentage on the other hand is very easy to calculate and measure. It is easy for us to figure out our starting point and set a clearly defined goal.

A clearly defined fitness goal that is also measurable could be: In 2011 I will lower my body fat percentage to 10%.

Attainable

When Tom Hopkins talks about goals he uses the approach better than your best but believable. We think that believable falls in line with the a of SMAC, attainable.

If our current body fat percentage was a great deal higher than 10%, setting this goal might not be attainable (for now); however, if our body fat percentage had been in the 10% range in the past and is now just slightly higher, this would be a great goal to shoot for.

Our clearly defined fitness goal that is measurable and attainable could be: In 2011 I will lower my body fat percentage to 10%.

Challenging

Our goals should be attainable yet still challenging. We have often heard that goals should be set so that they are hit 50% of the time. Don't you feel great when you set a challenging goal and hit it?

As a wise dude named Michelangelo once said, "The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short; but in setting our aim too low, and achieving our mark." Thanks Michelangelo.

There we have it, our specific, measurable, attainable, challenging, fitness related goal for 2011 is: In 2011 I will lower my body fat percentage to 10%!

Celebrate!

No, there's not a double C at the end of SMAC ;) We wanted to take a quick second though to stress the importance of celebrating your goals and your progress towards them.

Break your larger goals down into smaller goals; perhaps monthly, weekly, and even daily (for the bold out there), and be sure to celebrate when you have mini-successes that bring you closer to your larger goal!


We want to wish all of our readers a happy, healthy, and successful 2011. If you've already set some goals we would love to hear about them so don't hesitate to leave us a comment. One of our goals for 2011 is to include more business related posts on our blog but we'll get to the SMAC details after the ball drops ;)

*We at senioritis are not, nor do we pretend to be, experts on the subject(or any other subject for that matter). We do not play the role of 'goal experts' on tv but we have stayed at a Holiday Inn within the last 12 months ;)

Garrick @ Senioritis

Monday, December 27, 2010

I'm Dreaming of a White...

While we didn't quite have a white Christmas, we didn't have to wait too long for the snow to come. It started snowing a bit yesterday afternoon, and while I thought it was going to be just a quick flurry I was wrong. It snowed all day and well into the morning and we got a bit over a foot of snow. Enough of the rambling though, on to some pictures of the white stuff!

This is what it looked like when I went out this morning:



After about an hour of shoveling we got her to the top:



AWD & snow tires for the win! I don't think I'll ever get a car without all wheel drive. My sister's Subaru is an absolute beast in this weather ;)



For some reason this made me hugry:



Stay warm & enjoy the holiday season!

Garrick @ Senioritis

Sunday, December 26, 2010

Senioritis x Stoopher & Boots Photos

We just wanted to share some photos we snapped at the Senioritis x Stoopher & Boots event on 12.16. Thanks to everyone who was able to stop by!





You can check out all of the photos here. We hope you're all having an excellent holiday season; Happy Sunday ;)

Garrick @ Senioritis

Saturday, December 18, 2010

One small step for senioritis.

We are very pleased to announce that our Stars Stripes Space design has been chosen as a finalist in the NASA x Etsy Space Craft contest!

We'd like to take a moment to thank everyone who voted for our design and everyone who helped spread the word about the contest. You can check out all the sweet finalists here.

We'll keep everyone posted as we receive more info; just wanted to let you guys know that we're one step closer to making a giant leap ;) Have a great weekend!

Garrick @ Senioritis

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Senioritis x Stoopher & Boots

We're excited to announce that this Thursday we will be teaming up with Stoopher & Boots to celebrate the holiday season! If you're in NYC and dig our style, or just need to do some last minute shopping, swing by and say hello ;) More event info can be seen here.

stoopher & boots

Garrick @ Senioritis

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

WWSRD?

My Dell Inspiron laptop, which I do basically all of my work on, typically has a nice warm white light on the front when it's on or plugged in. Earlier this week I awoke to find a blinking red light where the warm white one usually is. At first I thought, 'Oh, that's pretty cool my computer knows it's holiday season. It must be blinking because it thinks it's getting new software or something.' Well, I powered on my laptop only to discover that the blinking red light was not a season's greeting but instead the indicator for a 'Permanent Battery Failure.'

Long story short(er), my computer doesn't recognize the battery and if the AC chord comes unplugged the computer turns off and all work is lost - ask me how I found that out ;) Dell recommends replacing the battery with a suitable Dell unit; which naturally can only be purchased through the Dell website. Dell will ship the replacement battery to my door for about $200.

So the question to you, our wonderful readers, is: Should I purchase a $200 battery from Dell or go with a more economical battery that doesn't carry the Dell name?

What woud senioritis readers do?

All input is appreciated ;)

Garrick @ Senioritis

Thursday, December 2, 2010

For the Benefit of All Man(be)kind

A while back we had mentioned creating a design for a NASA x Etsy Space Craft contest. Well, fast forward several weeks and we're excited to announce that our design, Stars Stripes Space, has made it into the voting round! We're very pleased to have our design among those selected and sitting alongside such cool work.

Our patriotic cmyk design pays tribute to NASA's successes and over five decades of stars, stripes, and space. If you dig our style or have dressed as an astronaut more than once on Halloween, we would love your support; so be kind and vote for us ;)

stars stripes space

You can vote for our design here; however, you must be an Etsy member to vote. Not an Etsy member? No worries, creating an account is quick and painless and can be done here.

Thanks a bunch, we appreciate your support in helping to send senioritis to space!

Garrick @ Senioritis