New Year, Same Resolution?
It’s the new year and that means New Years Resolution time. For many, this is a time of introspection, self-analysis, and optimism aimed at guiding the new year in a healthier, happier, more prosperous way of living. But what if you constantly fail at achieving it and your New Year Resolution is the same as last year, or the year before that, or the year before that? At what point do you throw in the towel and choose something different? If only there was a way to set yourself up for success rather than failure and ensure that those resolutions are being met. Sometimes, by breaking down the larger goal into smaller milestones, and looking at potential pitfalls and ways to navigate through them we can reach the ultimate final goal with relative ease. Think of climbing Mt. Everest. Mountain Climbers don’t summit the mountain in one long arduous hike; rather they climb to base camp and rest. Then on following days they reach Camp 1, and Camp 2, so on and so forth till they reach their goal of summiting the highest peak in the world.
Goal setting is a difficult task and does require some practice in knowing how to take a larger goal and break it down to achievable smaller goals. For some, sitting down with paper and a calendar and physically writing down the goal with the dates that smaller goals must be reached is the only way to achieve something of magnitude that would qualify as a New Years Resolution. For others, it’s a few moments of quiet clarity and focusing on where they need to improve in their lives, and how to implement that into their daily routine. Regardless of how you approach the task of setting a goal, knowing the steps it takes to get there is half the battle.
Maybe your past failures in reaching your resolution has less to do with YOU, and more of what the goal was. Think about it; if your goal of losing 20 lbs. every year never gets met, then maybe it’s not a problem of you not achieving the goal but becoming frustrated with the difficulty of achieving the goal in the first place. Rather than “lose weight”, a more achievable goal would be to increase how many days you work out each week, or to change your daily diet to reduce calories, or stop that late night snacking. Essentially any or all those goals would help you to achieve that dreaded New Years Resolution of “losing weight”, but without the burden of “20 lbs.” hanging over your head. Before you knew it, those 20 lbs. would be history, just by changing your mindset and how you approach the goal.
Do yourself a favor this new year. Sit down and write out what you would like to accomplish. Break that goal down into easy achievable steps and reward yourself with each accomplishment. Set strict guidelines for when those goals must be met and analyze who or what you may need to assist you through your journey. Enjoy the process, not just the destination.
Happy New Year from Moore Chiropractic