Self- controllable – if the goals can be controlled by
myself or caused by my own actions I can (Donatelle, R. & Thompson, A., 2011).
I can directly affect my goals in the environmental dimension of health because I decide what to do with my garbage. I decide whether or not to recycle. I decide whether or not to bring reusable bags with me to the grocery store.
Public – if the goal is visible to you and/or those around you it will remind you of the end result you are striving for (Donatelle, R. & Thompson, A., 2011).
Letting my family and friends know about my intention to improve my environmental health will encourage them to keep me in line when they notice I’m not staying on track. Also, keeping a recycling bin next to my garbage can reminds me that I should be conscious of what I am doing with my waste.
Rewards – if you have motivation to reach your short or long term goals (Donatelle, R. & Thompson, A., 2011).
The fact that this dimension received my lowest scoring, coupled with the environmental issues at a global scale, i.e. landfills, pollution, and global warming has me motivated to make major improvements in my life in regards to the environment around me.
Specific – if goals are precise and to the point versus vague and general (Donatelle, R. & Thompson, A., 2011).
My goals are to use reusable water bottles replacing plastic, decrease my plastic bottle use from an average of 2 (one water bottle and one pop bottle) to just one (a pop bottle if purchased), eliminate the use of plastic bags while shopping
Measureable – if goals are objective and measurable (Donatelle, R. & Thompson, A., 2011).
Many aspects of this behaviour change cannot be measured numerically. For example, it is almost impossible to determine if I in fact decreased the amount of water I used while bathing and brushing my teeth. I can however decrease the amount of time I spend doing this things. So I could in fact decrease my bathing time from 30 minutes to 15 minutes, perhaps shaving at a different time and at the sink rather than in the shower. Like I previously stated I could very well decrease the number of plastic bottle I use in a day. I can also keep one reusable shopping bag in my purse at all times, in case I decide to go shopping at the last minute.
Adjustable- if goals are flexible and can adjusted to any unforeseen circumstances (Donatelle, R. & Thompson, A., 2011)
If I am in an area that does not have a recycling bin I would have to make the decision to either keep my garbage with me or wait until I come across a recycling bin. I might end up throwing a recyclable product in the garbage to avoid it messing up my clothes, my purse or someone’s car. But after such an instance I could imagine that the habits would naturally fall back into place once I remind myself of my ultimate improvement I want to make.
Realistic – if goals are possible in your current financial, physical, environmental and emotional state (Donatelle, R. & Thompson, A., 2011).
I cannot fathom physical, emotional, financial, and environmental state I could come to be in that would arise that could discourage this behaviour change. .
Time-based – if goals have a schedule or timeline to keep it on track (Donatelle, R. & Thompson, A., 2011).
It takes 30 days for a new habit or behaviour to form. That is the timeline I have set for my goal to be achieved. None of these goals seem to be ones that require great effort or resources so I feel that 30 days is a realistic time expectation.
I can directly affect my goals in the environmental dimension of health because I decide what to do with my garbage. I decide whether or not to recycle. I decide whether or not to bring reusable bags with me to the grocery store.
Public – if the goal is visible to you and/or those around you it will remind you of the end result you are striving for (Donatelle, R. & Thompson, A., 2011).
Letting my family and friends know about my intention to improve my environmental health will encourage them to keep me in line when they notice I’m not staying on track. Also, keeping a recycling bin next to my garbage can reminds me that I should be conscious of what I am doing with my waste.
Rewards – if you have motivation to reach your short or long term goals (Donatelle, R. & Thompson, A., 2011).
The fact that this dimension received my lowest scoring, coupled with the environmental issues at a global scale, i.e. landfills, pollution, and global warming has me motivated to make major improvements in my life in regards to the environment around me.
Specific – if goals are precise and to the point versus vague and general (Donatelle, R. & Thompson, A., 2011).
My goals are to use reusable water bottles replacing plastic, decrease my plastic bottle use from an average of 2 (one water bottle and one pop bottle) to just one (a pop bottle if purchased), eliminate the use of plastic bags while shopping
Measureable – if goals are objective and measurable (Donatelle, R. & Thompson, A., 2011).
Many aspects of this behaviour change cannot be measured numerically. For example, it is almost impossible to determine if I in fact decreased the amount of water I used while bathing and brushing my teeth. I can however decrease the amount of time I spend doing this things. So I could in fact decrease my bathing time from 30 minutes to 15 minutes, perhaps shaving at a different time and at the sink rather than in the shower. Like I previously stated I could very well decrease the number of plastic bottle I use in a day. I can also keep one reusable shopping bag in my purse at all times, in case I decide to go shopping at the last minute.
Adjustable- if goals are flexible and can adjusted to any unforeseen circumstances (Donatelle, R. & Thompson, A., 2011)
If I am in an area that does not have a recycling bin I would have to make the decision to either keep my garbage with me or wait until I come across a recycling bin. I might end up throwing a recyclable product in the garbage to avoid it messing up my clothes, my purse or someone’s car. But after such an instance I could imagine that the habits would naturally fall back into place once I remind myself of my ultimate improvement I want to make.
Realistic – if goals are possible in your current financial, physical, environmental and emotional state (Donatelle, R. & Thompson, A., 2011).
I cannot fathom physical, emotional, financial, and environmental state I could come to be in that would arise that could discourage this behaviour change. .
Time-based – if goals have a schedule or timeline to keep it on track (Donatelle, R. & Thompson, A., 2011).
It takes 30 days for a new habit or behaviour to form. That is the timeline I have set for my goal to be achieved. None of these goals seem to be ones that require great effort or resources so I feel that 30 days is a realistic time expectation.
Conclusion
After going through all of the requirements of Super Smart i have decided that my specific short term goal will be to reduce the amount of plastic bottles from two to one within two weeks; my long term goal will be to reduce the length of my shower from thirty minutes to fifteen minutes within a month