Creating a Resolution

“Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year.” -Ralph Waldo Emerson

By Jordan Leasure, BA, DC, CCWP

It’s that time of year again where we resolve to be better, different, or more. Surprisingly, 75% of resolutions are maintained for the first week of January! Rounding the turn how are you holding up? We may lose weight, spend more time with family, quit smoking and maybe even travel. The one thing that is wrong with most resolutions is…everything. According to Forbes, only 40% of Americans make resolutions and only 8% of those actually achieve them! Let’s do better this year!!

By taking a minute and reworking your resolution like you do your other intentions you may actually achieve it this year! Take the following steps to reformat your resolution as a SMART goal and commit to making 2016 your best year yet!

• Specific - Start out by making your goal as specific as possible. Looking to “Get in Better Shape”? Resolve to lose 10% body fat by June. Do you want to “Save More Money”? Instead resolve to put 5% of your paycheck into a savings account each month. It’s easiest to remember as your “who, what, when, where, why”.
• Measurable - Can you quantiy your goals? Can you track if you’re making progress weekly or monthly? What is your metric? How much or How many?
• Attainable - Almost any goal is achievable if broken down into pieces. Identify those pieces and set your goal appropriately. Making goals unattainable and not reaching them can have the opposite effect of demotivating you.
• Realistic - Want to pay off your student loans? See if the snowball or avalanche method is right for you and stick with their program. It might be more realistic to pay off that $2000 credit card bill and then take the monthly payment you were making and put it toward that $50,000 student loan bill.
• Timely - What is your time frame? Don’t resolve to losing 10 pounds this year - but maybe lose 10 pounds by March 1st? And then keeping it off?

Resolve to make every day better. Better for yourself, your coworkers, your children, your spouse. Remember, it’s often best to be selfish and prioritize your needs short term so that you can then better take care of others in your life long term. Do you belong to any clubs, church group or co-op? Get everyone in on the action. Hold each other accountable, discuss your goals on a weekly basis and touch base to see if everyone is still on track. Hang a poster in the breakroom with everyone’s goals listed. Discuss with your children what they hope to accomplish this year. What gets measured, gets done.

Jordan Leasure, BA, DC, CCWP, is a licensed chiropractor and a certified chiropractic wellness practitioner from Libertyville, Illinois. Her goal is to educate the public on how to Eat Well - Move Well and Think Well.