Choosing the Right Resolutions for You

Is everyone around you setting big goals, making huge resolutions and improving their lives?  Do you feel inspired to join in but you just don’t know where to start?  Here are five things to consider to help you choose a resolution to fit with your life.

1.  What do you want to do with your life? 

I’m sure there are aspirations you have that you’ve yet to attain.  Maybe you want to run a marathon, take up snowboarding or write the next New York Times bestseller.  Make a list of the resolutions, life changes and goals you want to accomplish.  The list can be as long as you’d like; there are no limitations.   There is, however, one suggestion: make the list permanent.  Don’t write it on a piece of loose paper that can get lost, or if you do, tuck it away in a safe place that you are able to easily access.  Better yet, get a small journal to document your goals.  As new goals are made, list them.  As goals are accomplished, cross them off. 

2.  What could you improve on?

We all have room for improvement.  Where could you improve your life?  Here are some ideas:

• Exercise more
• Eat better
• Eliminate soda from your diet
• Stop smoking
• Eat less sugar
• Feel less stress
• Make time for yourself
• Laugh more

Make a list of areas in your life that you could do with some improvement in.  As you examine these areas, a few will likely stand out as more important than others.  How can you change these into goals? 

3.  What health concerns run in your family?

Heredity is a wonderful thing.  We get our hair color, our eye color, our freckles, large feet, cute button noses and yes, our health concerns, from our parents and grandparents.  What health concerns run in your family?

Make a list of issues your parents, siblings and grandparents have dealt with in their lives.  Are you taking steps in your life to avoid the same hereditary health issues?  If not, maybe now is the time to start.  What resolutions or goals can you set to ensure you do not have to suffer the same struggles?

4.  What would make you feel better about yourself? 

Are you low in energy?  Do you not feel as comfortable in your clothes as you’d like?  Do you often feel stressed and take it out on your family?  What can you do about these feelings?  Make a list of things that would make you feel better about yourself.  How can you create goals to help you feel the way you want to feel? 

For example, if you’re low in energy it may be due to the fact that you’re not getting the vitamins and nutrients you need during the day.  It may also be due to stress, or too much caffeine in the morning.  When you determine the cause of your feelings you can set goals to improve them.

5.  What feels attainable?

Running a marathon may not feel attainable for you, but walking three or four times a day may feel like something you can accomplish.  Goals that are out of our reach end up making us feel unworthy and often bad about ourselves.  Love yourself the way you are right now and focus on what you can do to improve your life, not what you think you should do, or what others are doing to improve their lives.  Once you take the small steps, the bigger steps feel easier to attain.