Well, it is the time of year most of us make new year resolutions…as if the stress and anxiety of buying and wrapping the perfect gift for loved ones weren’t enough to drive us to drink! We quickly add more stress and anxiety to our plate by making resolutions to help us achieve a slimmer, more active, kinder, richer, fill-in-the-blank life – ugh! I am stressed just writing all of that!
As we look ahead to the new year, take personal and professional inventory, and make resolutions accordingly, here are some ideas to help us maybe – just maybe – stick to our resolutions past the first 31 days of 2022. And it might be as easy as A, B, and G!
Achieve: Start by setting goals you can achieve! Let’s use walking as an example of an achievable goal. Most of us can’t get through the day without walking – walking to the bathroom, mailbox, coffee pot, back to the bathroom, meetings, kitchen, back to the bathroom, and finally at some point – bed! How about we take walking one step further (pun intended) and incorporate more outside, in nature, walking?? We are lucky to live where we can experience all four seasons, as well as in an area with so much to see and enjoy while we are outside so an achievable goal to set is not necessarily to walk more but to take advantage and walk outside and enjoy what Mothe Nature has to offer. Here is a link to find a walking trail near you to help you achieve that goal.
Believe: Sometimes half the battle to starting something new or building on an existing task is believing in yourself! Every day we are surrounded by stories of people overcoming extraordinary obstacles with sheer will and confidence. As we embark on the new year and set resolutions to improve our physical or mental well-being, the belief that we can meet and adhere to those resolutions will be the difference between success and failure. There will always be monkey wrenches thrown into our well-thought-out plans, but just like when you drive your car and hit traffic/accident/construction there is a detour to get you to your destination. Change your mindset and believe in yourself as you tackle obstacles – even if there are detours along the way.
Grace: Is there anyone harder on you than you? Probably not. I would venture to guess that many of us replay our day and think about what we did wrong instead of what we did right. I’d also venture to guess that if we weren’t our own worst critic and changed our perspective to see ourselves as others see us, we’d be quite surprised (maybe even pleased) with all that we do right. Life is certainly hard enough without us being hard on ourselves. Perhaps this is the year we resolve to be kinder to ourselves, practice grace, exercise frequent pats on our back; and celebrate and reward our efforts.
Every day is a chance for a fresh start to achieve what we believe we can do. And for the days that maybe didn’t go as planned, we will allow ourselves some grace and encouragement for better days ahead. So, here’s to YOU in ’22!