Not a fan of New Year's Resolutions? I'm neither here nor there on it; but since I'm trying to improve myself anyways, it seems that the start of the new year is a good time to get things in order.
If you haven't heard of SMART goals, it's a simple but powerful way to break down your goals to help you achieve them (because just saying "I want to get this thing done at some point this year" isn't going to happen). Here's the breakdown:
[Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. Purchasing from these links earns me a small commission at no extra charge to you. This post also contains sponsored product from GoSili. All opinions are my own and are not influenced by the sponsorship.]
"SMART" goals are:
Specific: What is the specific goal you're trying to accomplish? And be specific!
Measurable: How can you measure your success? Think about how you will know when you've accomplished the goal.
Actionable: What are the actionable steps (aka objectives) needed to achieve the goal? Break the goal into smaller steps. List every step.
Responsible: Who are the people that must support this goal? If you need the support of your manager, co-workers, friends, or family, make note of it here.
Time-bound: When do you want to achieve the goal?
To get started, simplify and take time to sit down and think about your goals. If you want a planner that helps you work through these goals on a weekly and monthly basis, check out the Passion Planner or give yourself a bit of creative space and try a bullet journal. Get the kids/spouse/partner/roomate out of the house so that you can think without distraction. Pour yourself a cup of coffee, tea or whatever makes you happy.
Then make a list of all the things you want to accomplish. EVERYTHING. Big, small. Just write down everything that comes to your mind. At first, it's doesn't have to be specific or realistic.... just get it on paper. For me I had everything from blog goals to business goals to personal goals (such as being a better person and more environmentally friendly.)
Next, write down smaller more attainable goals to help you reach the larger ones. For example, as I want to make more environmentally safe choices, I plan to start things like: bringing reusable bags to the grocery store, taking my own reusable straws to restaurants and minimize my consumption of to-go drink cups.
That's why I wanted to share (and run a GIVEAWAY for) my favorite silicone product company GoSili. I personally own a ton of their products and I'm a big fan. I've talked about them before a couple times (here and here) but these are my favorite pieces yet! I've started implementing their new travel mug into my daily life as a way of reaching my New Year goals.
As you can see in the collage photo above, I have the blue dotted cup itself as well as both the travel mug lid and the straw lid (the straws are from the same company too!) The smaller cup you see my daughter holding is their kid's cup, which we have owned for some time now.
The lids are completely interchangeable within all of their cups so my kids and me can share, which reduces clutter in our home (another goal of mine!). Each style of lid has a sort of non-spiral threading on it which doesn't screw it on but rather helps seal the liquid within it to prevent leaks. On the contrary, the lids just press straight onto the cups.
My husband commented that it should screw onto the cup so that the kids can't take it off but I haven't found that to be a problem. Our 2 year old can't take it off and our 4 year old hasn't ever tried. They seal on there pretty tight, we've dropped them several times and the lids don't pop off!
My kids use the straw lid most often but the mug lid would make a perfect sippy cup top. Both the kids cup and the adult sized cup are made of a BPA, BPS, phthalate, PVC, and lead free silicone and include a stainless steel ring that helps them keep their shape. You can actually squeeze them and they flex like carry-out plastic cups except they aren't awful for the environment and can be both microwaved and thrown in the dishwasher (I only use dishwasher items!).
Now when I go run errands in town, I pack myself a drink. In places that will let me, I'm using my GoSili cup instead of their disposable ones. I've got my silicone straws and I'm ready to make some changes in my life and in the world this year! Something I didn't mean to do but has resulted from this little change is that I'm not only leaving the world in a little better shape than I found it, but I'm teaching my children to do so as well. If they grow up saying "no" to the disposable world, then they will already be steps ahead of where I am now. And after all, don't we all want our children to be better than we are?
If being a little more smart with your environmental choices is part of your resolutions, or if you just want to make some changes in your life to reduce waste, join me in the silicone revolution! While you're getting your plans figured out, why don't you go ahead and enter to win a $40 gift package of GoSili products? Just enter using the rafflecopter below. Make sure you follow Cut, Craft, Create on facebook and on instagram because I'll be posting a video later this week that you can share to earn 5 bonus entries!)
