Thursday 1 January 2015

Time for a Change?

It's that time of year ... again. 

Every new year people set out to make fantastic resolutions to change their lives for the better.  But somehow those early days of gusto seem to fizzle out by February ... if we're lucky to last that long.

I've even broken my resolution not to make more resolutions.

While resolutions or goal setting is a great way to make positive changes, it can also be very destructive if your goals are impossible to reach.

So why do we do it every year and more importantly, why do we fail?  Maybe it's because all these grand resolutions are not smart enough.  I'm not saying people are making unintelligent goals, I'm referring to the acronym SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, timely). 

Eating healthier is a great goal, but it's not specific enough to know whether you've achieved it or not.  It's a goal that is impossible to measure.  What is healthier?  And for how long?  When making goals for the new year, if they're too vague or unrealistic, they will never be realized. 

I decided to make 1 or 2 small goals each month, instead of making a whole series of resolutions, designed to build on one another.  While they aren't epic life changing goals, they aren't meant to be.  They're supposed to be goals that are realistic and achievable; stepping stones to builds up my confidence and success for future goals.

My January goals:
  • Take a Vitamin D supplement at least 5 days per week
  • 30 minutes of physical activity per day at least 5 days per week
It is better to take many small steps in the right direction than to make a great leap forward only to stumble backward.                                                                                                          Chinese Proverb


A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.                                                      
                                                                                              Lao Tzu
 
 

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