Inspiration from Crystal Lenk

‘Tis the Christmas Season: the season to be jolly, merry, and festive. The season when the number of fitness activities go down and volume of party festivities go up. Right around the corner is New Year’s Day – resolution time (oh, no!!!)  Are you dreading the start of the New Year because all those resolutions are staring you in the face? Is this New Year’s Resolution list overwhelming? Unrealistic? Is it the same resolution list as last year? If so, perhaps some lessons in goal setting would help.

First is the question, “How does one select a goal(s) or make a resolution/(s)?” I like to start my New Year’s Resolution list with a reflection on the previous year. I document both my accomplishments and shortcomings. It is recommended to look at both areas because many times the steps to success can be retraced and the roads to failure avoided. Then, I choose some potential goals/resolutions and prioritize them. Finally, I pick a few of the top items.

Here are more goal setting tips to consider:

1. SET REALISTIC GOALS. Setting realistic goals is the key to success for there’s a fine line between a healthy challenge and an unreachable aspiration. Make sure that your goals are a challenge, but reachable. Do not set yourself up for a premature failure by setting an unrealistic goal. If your goal is to lose 30 pounds in one month, give-up smoking in one day, look like Miss/Mister America by next birthday, or get rich before next payday, then you may be in for an unpleasant surprise! “Aim for the moon to hit a star!”
2. SELLECT A REALISTIC NUMBER OF RESOLUTIONS. If one goal is good, two must be better? Then three, four, five, etc. – right? Wrong! One or two major goals are usually plenty. Contrary to popular belief, “More is often not always better!”
3. START YOUR RESOLUTION AS SOON AS POSSIBLE (NOT “TOMORROW”). Do not postpone your start date. Perhaps even consider not waiting until New Year’s Day to begin! How often have you said, “I’ll start tomorrow?”  Remember “tomorrow” is not guaranteed and often “tomorrow” is the busiest day of the week. Plan today’s actions, not tomorrow’s results. “Do not put off until tomorrow what you can achieve today.”
4. ALLOW ENOUGH “T.I.M.E.” TO ACHIEVE YOUR RESOLUTION. We live in a world of instant gratification, so remember to allow sufficient T.I.M.E. to obtain a goal (Things I Must Earn). An interesting concept to ponder is that the faster one achieves a goal the faster one can lose it (and vice-versa). An example is the “crash diet syndrome”. Do you know someone who has lost 30 pounds in 30 days? How long did it take for him/her to regain the weight? (Probably less than 30 days.) Quite often, the longer it takes to achieve a goal, the more likely one will be able to develop the lifestyle necessary to retain it and give the goal longevity. Both developing and maintaining one’s new way of living takes T.I.M.E. “Rome was not built in a day.” On the other hand, do not allow excessive amounts of T.I.M.E. to reach each goal.  “A goal is a dream with a deadline!”
5. MAKE THE RESOLUTION EXPERIENCE A POSSITIVE ONE. While attempting to reach an awesome goal, try to make the overall experience enjoyable. Do not totally sacrifice your happiness during the goal achieving process. What has a miserable, slim, rich, smokeless, Miss/Mister America really achieved? If you have no family or friends left to share your accomplishment (because your drive to succeed has driven them all away), of what value is the accomplishment?  “It’s more important to enjoy the journey than reach the final destination.”
6. IF YOU CHOOSE TO GIVE-UP SOMETHING, MAKE SURE TO REPLACE IT WITH SOMETHING ELSE. Removing bad habits leaves voids that must be filled. It is always important to replace negative voids with “positive fillers”. Try to take this concept one step further by replacing the void with a related positive filler. For instance, if you give-up smoking, replace the void with something positive that you enjoy - something that you could not do as a direct result of your negative smoking habit. Perhaps taking walks or hikes with family/friends, sharing activities with your children, participating in a new hobby with your spouse, joining a new club, etc.
7. CONTINUE THE RESOLUTION INDEFINITELY. Once the act of achieving the goal becomes a lifestyle, keep it going. That’s right, keep on keepin’ on! Although the initial thought may have been to make a quantitative (measureable) resolution with a distinct ending point, the best resolutions become lifestyles, which joyfully continue indefinitely. “The road to success should always be under construction!”

Still having difficulties? Then find someone else who has been successful at making resolutions and achieving positive results. Successful people leave trails. Follow their paths until you can develop your own. There are often many paths to the same destination. In conclusion, here are some encouraging words to get you started:

“There lies inside of you all the potential to be anyone that you want to be

And all the energy to do anything that you want to do.

So, take a moment to reflect on the person that you would like to become

Pursuing the activity that you would like to do.

Then, each day, take one step toward your dream.

While sometimes it may seem too difficult to continue,

Hold on to your dream!

For one day you shall awake, the person that you dreamed of,

Doing exactly what you dreamed of,

Simply because you had the courage to hold on to your dream

And believe in your potential!”