Because I’m certain you haven’t gotten tired of people telling you that once again the Earth successfully made it around the sun, I am happy to remind you! 

Since the holidays falling in the middle of the work week in 2019, this week feels like the true beginning of the new year. I like when there are natural opportunities like this to reboot in our schedule. They allow us to reflect and redefine how we are doing on our chosen path. Of course the new year is the most universal of those breaks.

With my fondness for renewal in mind, I actually detest resolutions. They encourage a perfect storm of failure and shame. Don’t get me wrong, people should always strive for something more than they have, but setting grandiose goals leaves us ripe for serious, derailing disappointment when we invariably waiver.

To make lasting (healthy) change in our behaviors we need to do so in a healthy and supportive way. Let’s look at a way to stack the deck in our favor, so we can avoid the shame spiral of resolutions, and enter the success spiral of goal achievement.

The study of goal-setting has proven that achieving goals happens much more often when the goals are written down. When we write down what we want, several factors come into play that build upon each other.

First of all, we create a vivid image of what we want. Have you ever noticed that when you or someone close to you gets a new vehicle, you suddenly start to see so many more of them on the road? This is because our brains are trained to see things to which we give our attention. 

It is vital to note what we see the most is what we think about the most. This is not “hocus-pocus”; it is simple brain physiology. When we give our attention to success, we will start to see more opportunities for success.

The second benefit is that a written goal gives you something from which you can work backward to create a practical plan of action. A clear vision of your end result allows you to dissect all the details of that goal.

For example, if your goal is to achieve a higher level of performance at work, you can use visualization to assess where you would need to be with your personal growth, skill level, resources needed, etc. when you are at that point. This helps direct where you can most efficiently focus your efforts on each aspect, to get you to that state of achievement.

Finally, when we write our goals down, we become accountable to something tangible, this is especially true if we keep reviewing them on a consistent basis.

I am going to start using this forum to that degree. 2020 will bring big changes to Sullivan Chiropractic Health Services, AskDrSullivan.com, and myself. Changes to my other obligations (about which I have spoken to many of you previously) will come to fruition, and will lead to several opportunities for personal growth and expansion of services that I have to offer.

In the next two weeks you can look for an announcement including a more consistent schedule of availability, as well as expanded service levels that will include lifestyle counseling based upon your genetic makeup, among other things. That’s (one of) my goal(s) for this year.

So take a few minutes today and write each of your goals down on paper (health, fitness, or otherwise) in a place where you can review them often, and then enjoy knowing you are working toward the most successful, healthy, productive year yet.