So it is officially 2018, and by now the resolutions probably have faded. Instead this can be a great time to focus on what goals you would like to accomplish over the next year. So what is the difference between resolutions and goals? The definition of the resolution is “a firm decision to do or not to do something.” The definition of a goal is “ the object of a person’s ambition or effort; an aim or desired result.” Even just reading those definitions can’t you feel the difference between them? A resolution is so rigid. It is a very black or white mentality of on the wagon or off the wagon. You either succeed or you fail. When setting a goal it allows room for a plan, and then a bunch more back up plans for when the first one doesn’t work out. It gives you growth and allows for failure as a learning experience. In life, we need to aim for goals. We need to allow ourselves to mess up and try again without labeling ourselves as failures.

When I was in my resolution setting days I would always want to lose weight (which I think is a common goal for most people when setting resolutions). I would purchase workout plans, meal plans, create calendar spreadsheet of all the things I was going to do and I was setting myself up to fail from the beginning. So instead of overhauling your life break down your goals into manageable steps. I recently purchased the workout series BodyBoss. It comes with a12-week workout plan where I would work out 5 times a week. Great, this is an awesome goal to strive towards! However for me I currently workout 1-2 times a week on the elliptical which has nothing to do with weights. So instead of diving into trying to do 5 workouts a week, I am going to swap out one of my elliptical days for one of the weight workouts in BodyBoss. After a couple weeks, I am going to add in a weight session after my elliptical session. Then once I am comfortable with that I will work out twice a week including the elliptical and the BodyBoss weight training workout. I just broke down an overwhelming goal into small steps that are actually manageable. So if you don’t work out at all try to go for a 5-minute walk after work once a week. Great you started! It doesn’t have to be all or nothing, and remember to celebrate every single small step you take because you are kicking butt compared to who you were yesterday! Here are some more examples of goals:

Continue to Make Health a Priority: In 2017 I realized that I wanted to focus on becoming healthy, not losing weight. This is a goal that I started to work on and I am excited to take it to the next level. What does the next level look like to me? Adding to cooking my dinner a couple times a week. Making sure I have snacks at work for when I get hungry in the afternoon. Continuing to make sure I eat breakfast. Always drink enough water throughout the day. These are manageable goals that I can do to help become healthier. It could also be something fun like try a new workout class.

Reaching out & Connecting with People: One of the things I have struggled with in the past is the feeling of loneliness. I am an introvert so I love my alone time, but sometimes I get too much and I become lonely. (A very delicate balance that I am still trying to figure out!) Over the past week, I started to read the book “Frientimacy” by Shasta Nelson, and it is changing my perspective on friendships & relationships! To gain a better connection is to start with the people you are already friends with. I have two brothers who live out of state it would be super easy for me to call them and check in with them. This would deepen my connection with my siblings and make me feel better (and hopefully them also!) I also am fortunate enough to live near my mom and my aunts, I could easily schedule a monthly lunch where we could get together and connect. This would be an amazing opportunity to get to know more about my aunts and create a friendship with them. Right there by doing two things I have the potential to deepen my friendships with 12 people!

Getting Outside My Comfort Zone: I have been doing this for about two years now and it is amazing what I am now able to do! This past year I combined getting out of my comfort zone by connecting with people and joined two new activity groups kickball & church group! I have met amazing people and have had a lot of fun. This year I am going to try a yoga class & a book club!

Comment below on what goals you want to set for 2018 & if you need help breaking them down into smaller steps reach out I would love to help!

I hope everyone has a great 2018.

XO,

Ellie Curry