NEW YEAR'S (re)SOLUTIONS

Here we are.  4 weeks into the new year.  Did you set New Year's Resolutions?  How are you doing with them?  Like most people, we have wishes and dreams to shed a few pounds,  tighten up the budget, get on a budget, same extra money for that dream vaca.  But something happened on the way to February....LIFE.

Years ago, our local newspaper published an article about marathon running.  It highlighted a specific individual who (unbeknown to me) was somewhat of a local running legend. At the conclusion of the article, there was a "marathon training schedule."  I was intrigued.  I thought, "I'm going to run a marathon....SOMEDAY."  Although it wasn't the "New Year" I resolved in myself that I, Tim Peterson, would one day run a marathon!  So I kept the newspaper and over time it moved from one location on my desk to another.  It was like an old friend that every now and again would show up, we would "talk" and then it would go back to it's rightful place on the pile.  Until one day.  "One day..."  you know the day, the day when you finally look at something and say, "who am I kidding? I won't...can't...shouldn't...etc.."  I was out of shape and used excuses as to why I wouldn't ever run a marathon.  So, I tossed that article in the trash, along with a part of me,  my dreams.  That one decision to give up my dream of running a marathon had a profound impact on me that I wouldn't realize until some time later.

Ok, so here we are, DAY 29 of 2017.  Have your resolutions go by the way of my newspaper?  Has life or circumstances stepped in and given you blow after blow like a boxer to a speed bag...and you are the speed bag?  

What do you say we hit the "reset" button?  Instead of feeling bound up by a "resolution" let's look at our goals as New Year's Solutions.  If we truly are going to have our BEST YEAR YET what plan do we have?  Here are a few quick steps:

• First, determine to set achievable goals
• By achievable, I mean anything that you have a 50/50 chance of hitting
• DON'T have a list of 20 things....keep it manageable at 4 to 5
• These would be the goals that when you come to the end of the year, you look back and say, "because I accomplished, "X", I had a FANTASTIC year
• Focus your actions on what you can control
• You control if you work out; eat out; what you eat; how you spend; etc
• Have check in points along the journey
• Give yourself a time period, like 12 weeks (which is a whole other subject for a future blog) so that you can measure your progress.  See where you are at and then adjust, if needed, and proceed forward
• START!

It's not about setting artificial "resolutions," it's about finding a solution and going after it!

You don't have to wait for the calendar to flip or anything else.  Get going....you'll be glad you did.

By the way, I squashed the negative self-doubting.  I didn't start with 26.2 miles in mind, I just started and it has led to me picking up running and have since completed 7 full marathons with more to come. 

Whatever it is that you want, get a plan and control the actions to implement to make this your BEST YEAR YET!

After completing the 2016 Chicago Marathon