W hat we can expect each New Year’s: Dick Clark and lofty resolutions.
Unlike Clark, who has the endurance of an Olympic marathon runner, our annual goals are quickly abandoned. Some day in February, we think, “Resolutions? What was I doing again?”
With some expert advice from local professionals, we can improve the odds for attaining our goals in 2011.
BE ACCOUNTABLE
Suquamish self-employment coach Molly Gordon says oftentimes people bite off more than they can chew with New Year’s resolutions. Instead take smaller actions to lead to a greater whole.
To accomplish your goals, Gordon suggests using the “chose, declare, report” cycle. Here’s how it works:
•Each day, chose a single high-value action that you are going to do. It could be something like limiting yourself to one cup of coffee, or going for a 30-minute walk.
•Declare your intentions to someone (spouse, friend, co-worker).
•Report on your outcome for the day.
•Repeat the cycle the next day.
By sticking with these above steps, you build confidence and motivation. You start to learn about yourself. You learn if one day you set too high of a task, or if you could have pushed yourself harder. You learn what’s really important in your life, and what you can let go.
Gordon says, “I learned I’d really like to keep chocolate in my life rather than lose the five pounds.”
DOCTOR’S ORDERS
Scott Lindquist, Kitsap County Health Director, says tending to mental health is an important resolution. He stressed people should talk openly about mental health with their medical provider and to get the help needed.
“This isn’t something to be ashamed of,” says Lindquist. “You need to manage mental health issues like any other chronic disease.” Lindquist isn’t advocating for everyone to be put on anti-depressants, although in some cases, that is the right course of action.
Instead, simple changes such as getting enough sleep, eating healthy foods and figuring out your triggers for depression and anxiety can make big impacts on your mental state.
Lindquist also mentioned that a great resolution for 2011 would be to wear your seatbelt every time you are in the car. And while he’s at it, he’d like to remind you to: not text, don’t email and don’t talk on the phone while driving. Those resolutions are easy to attain with very little pain and a lot of gain for you and fellow motorists.
On the subject of resolutions, Lindquist also has a laundry list of behaviors that would make a big impact on the health in the county. These are the “regular resolutions,” the ones that appear each year: limit your drinking, stop smoking, lose weight, and manage your blood pressure.
SAVE YOUR GREEN
As the dreaded Christmas bills start to arrive in the mail, you may find that your spending habits are out of control. Kitsap Credit Union has advice on how to manage your debt and start saving:
•Set up an emergency fund of three-six months of expenses and rely on savings rather than open lines of credit.
•Just say no!
Remember the mantra, “if you need to charge it, you probably don’t need it.”
• Make a bill-paying plan. Pay your bills on time; if possible, pay more than the minimum due; pay off debt with higher rates first.
•Make yourself a priority, just like paying one of your bills. Put aside $50 a month to establish a habit of saving.
•Look for ways to reduce spending. Cut back on dining out. Save trips to the coffee shop for special occasions, instead brew your own coffee at home.
•Stick to a prioritized list when shopping.
•Have an energy audit done on your home. Make simple changes like turning off lights and taking shorter showers.
• Involve the entire family. Challenge family members to make weekly cutbacks.
BANISH PILES
Has your kitchen counter disappeared under piles? Do you shove items into drawers?
According to local professional organizer Erina Weible of Charisma Design and Organization, people become disorganized when you can’t make a decision about items. You don’t know what to do with the object, so you put it in a pile to be dealt with later. You end up with a stack of expired coupons, past party invitations, and random buttons off shirts.
Here are some tips from Weible to help you start off 2011 organized and in control:
•When you decide to work your way through your piles, stay in one place and don’t move.
•Use empty laundry baskets to divide up your piles until you can put the foreign objects in their proper place after you are finished with the task at hand. Otherwise, you run the risk of being sidetracked from your goal.
For example, let’s say you are organizing your junk drawer and you find a package of dental floss. Don’t immediately go put it away. Instead, put it into the “bathroom pile” to put away after you’ve finished organizing the drawer. If you don’t, you may get sidetracked with misplaced items in the bathroom, which leads you to your daughter’s room which leads you to the garage. This process will continue until you have nothing accomplished.
•Beware of “bright and shiny syndrome”. This is the phenomenon when something catches your attention and you focus your energy on the item and forget what you were doing. The really productive time you could have used organizing, was instead wasted on an unrelated item.
•Give yourself time. Returning the casserole dish to your friend, and the books to the library and donations to Goodwill all take time. If you only have three items to take to Goodwill, do it. Don’t wait for larger trips. Otherwise the piles start to reform.
WATCH OUT ‘DANCING WITH THE STARS’
Learn a new skill in 2011. Local parks departments offer a wide variety of classes for adults. Flip through their catalog or look online for class options. Pick out something that interests you and try it out. The important part is to give yourself the enjoyment of learning a new hobby. But who knows…maybe you have some hidden dance moves that would wow the pros, or you’ll learn how to take beautiful photos that put Ansel Adams to shame.
GIVE YOUR TIME AND YOUR HEART
A great way to feel good about yourself is to donate your time to worthy organizations. Whether your interested in helping with the Kitsap Humane Society or local food banks, non-profit groups are always in need of extra hands. According to Aseop, “No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.”
PLAN YOUR ‘BUCKET LIST’
Kingston life coach Meisha Rouser says the New Year is a great time to start your own “Bucket List.” Write down your wishes and dreams and keep the list somewhere you can see it daily. It reminds you of what you are working on and not to put things off.
For example if your goal is to learn to play the piano, don’t think, “I’ll learn to play once the kids are grown and out of the house and I have more time,” says Rouser. Things happen and later never comes and you end up with regrets. Instead, be intentional with your life and your choices. You’ve always wanted to go on a tropical vacation? Plan for it. Make it happen.
Rouser says it’s important to take time each morning to get grounded and set intentions for your day. If you set goals, you feel more in control and you don’t feel like a victim.
“If you aren’t intentional about your day, your day flies by. If you aren’t intentional about your life, the same thing happens,” Rouser says.
WAIST NOT
December is the month for indulging in holiday treats and drinks. The new year signals a good time to revamp your eating and exercise styles. Janet Jackson, fitness director at Poulsbo Athletic Club, says her biggest piece of advice is: don’t push yourself until you are about to keel over. She believes you have to earn the right to work out seven days a week. You earn it through progressing slowly and steadily through monthly goals.
Jackson says she prefers to set goals in six-week increments, rather than weekly. Instead of saying “I will work out three times this week”, say “I will work out 18 times in six weeks.” Her method gives you more wiggle room for life’s inconveniences like being stuck at work or sick with a head cold.
For beginners, Jackson suggests to begin exercising three days a week for 15-20 minutes a time. Your body needs to become conditioned to working out. Just like you wouldn’t expect to speak fluent French after one week of language classes, you can’t expect your body to do too much too soon. Give yourself time. The more realistic you can be, the more success you will have.
CHANGE IS A-COMING
Benjamin Franklin said: “When you’re finished changing, you’re finished.”
Change is constant throughout our lives. A lot of good can come from change, especially if you make conscious choices about the areas that need improvement.
So put down the champagne and pick up a glass of sparkling apple cider. Here’s a toast to 2011: May we live it with mindful intentions so when we look back one year from today, we will declare: “2011 was the year from heaven.”
And as for Dick Clark, he’s been ringing in the new year on television for 38 years. He’s one thing that defies change and for that, we are thankful.
