Making New Year’s resolutions is a waste of time. I am all for setting and achieving goals, but resolutions not so much.
They never work. Ever.
If you need any more proof than your own failed history (I’ve failed plenty of times too.) with resolutions compare the attendance at any gym in January with attendance in that same gym in February. Why do we fail with resolutions you may ask. We fail for two main reasons.
First of all, you need to set SMARTER goals, something I learned from Michael Hyatt. Here’s what that stands for:
Specific. – If you say you want to lose weight that isn’t specific enough. Instead, you should say you want to lose 25 lbs.
Measurable – Weight loss should be a wonderful goal to achieve because it fits well into this framework. Do you want to know how you are doing? Just step on a scale. Want to know why you aren’t losing weight? Measure how many calories your consuming and taking in.
Action Oriented – Your goal should start with an action verb. It should be something you do and have to act on.
Risky – Some people say the R should stand for realistic. Mr. Hyatt says it should stand for risky and I agree. If you don’t have to stretch yourself to achieve a goal, it’s going to be a lot easier to blow it off. If you are overweight is it more exciting to lose 20 lbs or 5 lbs? Which one is easier and there for less risky?
Time Keyed – You have to have a deadline, or many deadlines in order to achieve a goal. We as humans are master procrastinators. If there isn’t a deadline, it won’t get done.
Exciting – This ties into the risky segment. I find it helpful to write down the key motivation(s) behind why I want to achieve my goals.
Relevant – You have to set your own goals. If you are losing weight because your spouse wants to, but you really aren’t motivated it probably won’t happen. Also, goals have to be relevant to your specific situation. If you have a baby in the house, you probably won’t be able to get up at 5:30 am to workout and have an extensive morning routine. You just aren’t in the right season of life.
The second big reason that people fail to achieve their goals is that chronic pain and health issues get in their way.
A lot of goals in the New Year revolve around health and wellness. Pain can get in the way of achieving those goals.
We are your trusted healthcare advisors. We can help you get out of pain so you can achieve all your goals in 2019. Give us a call at 507-345-1926 visit our New Patient page to get started.