New Year's Resolutions / Goals / Visioning

Commitment / ownership

I was reading a blog about New Year’s Resolutions.  The author suggested that most resolutions fail as the resolution-maker doesn’t really have a deep commitment to the goals.

I have written of SMART goals in the past but want to go a bit farther today. 

S - Specific - not that I want to lose weight, but that I want to lose ten pounds by the end of February

M - Measurable - did you make the goal (at the end - basically yes or no)

A - attainable - can you reach the goal.  

R- Relevant - is this important to you

T- Timely - specific times

Many New Year’s Resolutions are on the vague side.  I want to lose a few pounds this year; I want to get more exercise this year; I want to get my taxes done early this year; I want to learn how to play pickleball; I want to learn to knit; All nice goals - but vague.

How much exercise is more?  How early do you want your taxes?

And, how committed are you really to your goals?  If you miss them will you say, “I just can’t lose weight” “I just couldn’t fit exercise into my schedule”.  (Make it a GOAL of life or death!!)

Let’s take the exercise goal and work on commitment.

So, you want to exercise more this year.  WHY?

Why DRIVES you to your goal.  Yes, I want to exercise this year!!  WHY?  Because by July 20th, 2020, when I undergo surgery, I want my body to be in the middle of the BMI (Body Mass Index) range for healthy. I see myself getting up after my surgery and walking the corridor; I see my body in an hour-glass shape - with a nice waist.  I see my surgeon before the surgery smiling at me and saying, “You have done well - you should have no complications from the surgery”.  I see my friends admiring me.  I see within my mind that I am overwhelmed with joy for my body.  I see myself dejected for not reaching my daily goal for missing one day of exercise.  I see myself elated for the completion of another day of quality exercise!!!  

Visioning your completion of goals helps you focus on them.  But, maybe as value is visioning NOT reaching your goals.

We are experts in rationalizing away our goals and dreams. "It just didn't work out"!!

I didn’t exercise today.  I got tired of working out.  I got tired of walking and lifting weights.  I got tired of doing sit-ups and other exercises.  Okay, that can happen - so let’s view yourself in those images.

Dr.: You are pre-diabetic (or worse) Karen - you are diabetic.

Dr.  You are not fit enough for your surgery.  Sorry, it won’t work out.

In five years as a diabetic - after five years of pinpricks to check your blood sugar. 

Dr. Your circulation isn’t good.  You need to exercise.

Here is a story of diabetes progressing:

“Garry Bieringer was 50 when his doctor told him he had type 2 diabetes. The diagnosis, based on a routine blood test, came as a surprise: Bieringer hadn’t noticed any symptoms. “The doctor just came in and said, ‘I think you have diabetes,’” Bieringer recalls.

In the 16 years since, Bieringer’s gone through a process that may be discouragingly familiar to many people with type 2, which affects nearly 28 million Americans. Every few years, his diabetes treatment changes. “It’s my pattern,” he says. “Once I start, after a little while the medication loses effectiveness.”

“At first Bieringer took metformin, the drug typically used first to control blood glucose levels in people with type 2 diabetes. After a few years, two more drugs—pioglitazone and glyburide —were added to his medication cocktail.

“Six years went by, and Bieringer’s doctor recommended a change. The pills that had worked at first were no longer enough to control his blood glucose. Today, he’s no longer on pioglitazone or glyburide. Instead, he takes metformin, injections of a long-acting insulin, fast-acting insulin shots before meals, and a daily shot of exenatide, a drug designed to increase his body’s insulin secretion and slow his digestion.

“Like many people with type 2 diabetes, Bieringer had a hard time hearing the news that he needed to move from oral medication to shots. “I felt I was failing,” he says. “But my diabetes educator said I wasn’t failing. It was just my body reacting.” Those words of wisdom helped Bieringer come to grips with the steadily increasing demands of his condition.

“Complications include kidney damage, often leading to dialysis, eye damage, which could result in blindness, or an increased risk for heart disease or stroke. 

HEY - (for this example) - failure to exercise, failure to watch your weight, failure to keep your New Year’s Resolutions may lead to kidney failure, heart disease, stroke or more.  The old adage “An an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”. 

You must COMMIT to your goals - you must OWN them - you need to ENVISION success (and failure).  Are you committed to your goals now in order to have a better life in the future?

Hugs!!

Karen