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How are you doing with the New Year’s resolutions you started in January? Even if you threw in the towel several weeks ago, all is not lost!
Did you know that spring is a good time to reevaluate our goals for the year? That’s because as the weather improves, we often feel more energetic and more motivated.
I hope you gave your residents an opportunity to create New Year’s resolutions, too. Now is the perfect time to check in and see how they’re doing.
When I shared my New Year’s resolutions with you in December, I promised to post an update in three months. I won’t bore you with an in-depth analysis of each of my goals. However, I’ll share a few discoveries I made that I believe will help you and your residents with your resolutions, too.
Celebrate your successes
I’m having so much fun working on one of my goals. In fact, I’ve gone above and beyond what I planned to accomplish so far. And I don’t think I would have taken it as seriously had I not written it down as a New Year’s resolution.
We must celebrate success as we make progress toward our goals. This inspires us to keep going with all of our resolutions.
Be sure to congratulate your residents on the steps they’ve taken to reach their goals for the year. In addition, encourage them to do something special for themselves to celebrate their progress.
Find new resources
I struggled with one of my resolutions at the beginning of the year. But then I realized the tools I was using weren’t the right ones for me. I did an online search and discovered several new resources. Now I feel like I’m back on track.
If a resident expresses difficulty with a goal, brainstorm ideas with them. Perhaps you can help them find new tools and resources. Everyone is different, and we need to discover what works best for each of us as an individual.
Make a fresh start
Early in the year, I did two special projects to work toward one of my goals. Both were epic failures. So I gave up.
But as I evaluated my resolutions, I realized that this goal is still important to me and it will make a positive difference in my life. So, I’m pulling myself up by the bootstraps and starting again.
Initial failure doesn’t mean we should give up on a New Year’s resolution. If the goal is still meaningful to your resident, encourage them to put the past aside and begin again.
Let it go
I must confess that I’ve done absolutely nothing to fulfill one of my resolutions for this year. But, as I consider the reasons, I realize that this goal isn’t all that important to me right now. It’s something I might reconsider in the future when circumstances change, but I don’t need to focus on it at this time in my life.
Sometimes it’s okay to remove a resolution from our list. Perhaps we realize the goal doesn’t meet a current need, or it doesn’t bring us joy.
If that’s the case for your resident, let them know it’s okay to let it go. That’s not a failure.
What advice can you add? How do you keep your New Year’s resolutions?
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