Take a moment to think about your overall health and wellness. Choose one area where you would like to see a change. This could be increasing the amount of time you participate in fitness activities each week, reducing intake of a certain unhealthy food, quitting smoking, getting a better night's sleep, or incorporating meditation into your routine. These are just a few of the hundreds of possible goals a person could have with respect to their health.
Once you have one idea in mind of an area for change, state it in the form of a goal. State it in a way so that you will know when the goal is achieved. For example "get in better shape" is vague, and it can be difficult to determine when this has happened. However, "each week I will attend two yoga classes and go for one 45 minute walk for the next month" is an objective goal. At the end of each week, and again at the end of the month, it can be determined if the goal was met.
For more details on how to set and write goals, look up S.M.A.R.T. goal setting. A quick search online will produce many well written articles, so I won't repeat that here.
Once you have defined your wellness goal, take this important step: get out a piece of paper and a pen/pencil/coloured pencil. Write that goal down in big letters, taking up the whole paper. This gets posted somewhere you will see it everyday. You can also take a photo of your written goal and make it your screensaver, so you will see it throughout the day. The act of physically writing it down and frequently looking at your goal will switch your brain into gear to make it happen.
Now take that overall goal and decide what steps need to happen. With the goal listed above, going to yoga and walking, you may need to purchase a pass at the yoga studio, check your walking shoes, call up a friend and make a plan so you have a walking partner, organize childcare, check out the yoga studio schedule, etc. Each of these steps carries you on your way toward the goal. Take out another piece of paper. Write out all the steps. As you achieve each one, put a big (I mean BIG) check mark beside the item. It will feel great as you check things off your list. Don't do it in your head, do this physically.
Get out your calendar. This can be on your laptop, phone, diary, whatever you prefer. Schedule time to achieve your goal. These time slots are as important and non-negotiable as any other in there. If you have scheduled 7:30-7:45 am meditation on Tuesday, then on Tuesday morning make sure you are ready at 7:25 with everything you need for a quiet 15 minutes.
When you see your posted goal, when you notice the entry in your calendar, smile and feel proud. You are working toward a positive change. Give yourself a mental and maybe physical pat on the back. If there are slips, which will happen, do not beat yourself up! Tomorrow is another day and a chance to get back at it.
What is your health and wellness goal going to be?
