By Sierra Buckley
Community HealthCorps
The New Year is in full swing, and it’s the perfect time to come up with those resolutions if you have not already. For many of us, the mark of an old year passed and a new year to come is a symbolic time to reflect, renew, resolve.
Resolutions typically call for some sort of change, adding a new habit or breaking an old one. While it is important to challenge yourself, do so in a way that is manageable for you. Dr. B.J. Fogg praises the big impact that comes from incorporating a small, new habit.
“Tiny habits … rely less on will power and motivation and more on redesigning your life little by little, so over time these small shifts create dramatic results,” said Fogg, as quoted in Psychology Today.
Is it irrational to say you will make a drastic change this year? No. But the process of getting there requires small steps. Running a marathon is done one step at a time. What is the first step in your new year’s resolution?
A great way to find your perfect resolution is to ask yourself, what do you want to be grateful for this year? Give regard to your goals, things that you have yet to accomplish, by expressing thanks in advance for having accomplished them. For example, if one of your resolutions this year is to read that wonderful book that’s been collecting dust, express gratitude for the ability to read such great books. The trick is, even if you don’t feel that way now, by making a statement about it you are welcoming that notion into your life.
If you are a big picture thinker and your new year’s resolution sounds something like, “I want to be healthier,” or “I am grateful for my health,” ask yourself, how do you become healthier or more grateful for health? Maybe for you that means losing weight or building muscle. How will you do that? Typically that involves a change in diet and exercise, so, how do you do that? Continue posing these questions until you have stripped your goal down to a step that seems doable for you.
With the book example above, maybe that means reading a page a day, or a chapter a week. Start there, and check in with yourself each week or month as needed. With each check in, you should be moving closer to the goal’s big picture.
This new year, consider making a resolution to continually reflect and resolve. This may be the time of year that everyone is doing it, but to truly be successful, you must constantly check in with yourself. If it makes sense for you, mark the New Year as your overall yearly check in and evaluation. Throughout the year, plan small check-ins and time for setting goals. Use a planner every Sunday night to create goals for the week. Schedule an hour the 30th of every month to reflect on the month so far and set an intention for the month to come. Or, set it up in whatever way you will be able to be most successful.
If you are thoughtful from day to day, the year won’t fly past you without meaning. Practicing mindfulness and engaging in reflection daily will stimulate growth and meaningfulness in your life, as well as help bring about those changes you’ve wanted to make for years.
