{"id":390,"date":"2013-01-01T12:01:22","date_gmt":"2013-01-01T20:01:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.laurarothafel.com\/?p=390"},"modified":"2012-06-16T11:17:16","modified_gmt":"2012-06-16T18:17:16","slug":"another-year-another-chance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.laurarothafel.com\/?p=390","title":{"rendered":"ANOTHER YEAR, ANOTHER CHANCE"},"content":{"rendered":"

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!<\/strong><\/h2>\n

You are probably making promises and commitments to yourself in honor of the new year and focused on looking forward to the future. Traditional resolutions are actions that we are determined to do or not do. Lose weight. Get Fit. Be organized. Eat healthy. Quit smoking and\/or drinking.<\/p>\n

My resolution from last year (drink more water) is still in motion. \u00a0Some days are filled with success and on others, water never fills my glass. \u00a0But here I am, still working on it. \u00a0Continuing to push myself to consume the mighty H2O even though it interrupts my day in multiple ways- if you know what I mean. \u00a0Let\u2019s face it, water is good for my body, free, and convenient. \u00a0So the only obstacle… must be me!!!<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t Throw in the Towel<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Have you ever given up on something when it didn\u2019t go as planned or was more difficult than you thought? \u00a0Our ability to tolerate frustration is often low when it comes to change. \u00a0Like going to the gym. \u00a0You go. \u00a0You work out. \u00a0You feel great and proud of yourself for doing it. \u00a0Then, the \u00a0muscles that once longed for movement now cry out for rest and recovery. \u00a0Then, you stop. Life takes over and you\u2019re right back to your old ways. \u00a0Behaving in a way that is comfortable, without challenge or discipline. \u00a0Right?<\/p>\n

We resolve to do something because it\u2019s in our best interest or for the benefit of others… so keep trying. \u00a0It might be learning something new or spending more quality time with friends and family. \u00a0Many focus on \u201cgetting healthy\u201d or becoming fit. Others might channel their energy on career goals. \u00a0For some it might mean to stop a negative behavior like swearing or gossiping. \u00a0Resolutions involve a process of change rarely perfect the first attempt.<\/p>\n

Solutions To More Successful Resolutions<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Identify-<\/strong> <\/em>What is meaningful to you? \u00a0What would you like to change? The key is making it personal because only you have the power to control yourself. \u00a0An added benefit may include a positive influence on others by how you change. \u00a0And others might need to adapt to your changes. \u00a0For instance, if you decide to eat a healthier diet and you do the shopping and\/or cooking in your house they will need to follow along. \u00a0Or, they might not like the fact that you don\u2019t buy cookies and ice cream anymore so they may have to take their own initiative if they want to eat sugar and fat!<\/p>\n

Make a Goal-<\/strong><\/em>Be specific. What exactly is it that you are trying to accomplish? \u00a0How much money do you want to save and in what time period? How much body fat or weight do you want to lose? What part of your life needs to get organized? Is it your kitchen, office, or social life? While setting your goals be realistic (you cannot lose 50 lbs in a month!) so you set yourself up for success! Know what the benchmark is so you will know when you have reached you goal or lifestyle change.<\/p>\n

Create a plan-<\/strong> <\/em>Write it down. Having a concrete plan gives you something to follow. It becomes a plan of action not just an idea floating around in your head. The benefit of a plan in writing is that it clarifies the steps that need to be taken. \u00a0Also, it can reduce the anxiety of the unknown…ideas no longer float around aimlessly in the brain. \u00a0This should include the who, what, where, when and how.<\/p>\n

Accountability-<\/strong><\/em> Tell others. \u00a0This appears to be more important for women who are more likely to be successful with a support system. \u00a0Friends and family can help keep you on track. They may ask how you\u2019re doing toward the goal or gently remind you to get back on track. \u00a0By telling someone they become witness to your desire.<\/p>\n

Persevere-<\/strong> <\/em>Don\u2019t give up! As long as you continue to try to accomplish your goals you have not failed. \u00a0(Perfection is difficult and too often we give up when we have not lived up the ideal.) So what if you ate a 2,000 calorie piece of chocolate cake today… just don\u2019t do it tomorrow!<\/p>\n

Obstacles-<\/strong><\/em> Understand what they are so you can incorporate them into your plan or know how to work around them. \u00a0If we can anticipate the hindrances, we are less likely to get thrown off track. \u00a0For example, increasing the amount of vegetables in your meals when your family believes that anything that is green and looks like it came out of the ground must be poison. \u00a0This is where you know you will be met with resistance but you manage to do what is best for you (and them) and not give in to their pressure to go back to “tater tots” as a vegetable.<\/p>\n

The Time Is Now<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The clock is ticking…take a chance and get started on your New Years Resolutions. \u00a0You have nothing to lose and much to be gained. \u00a0Make it manageable. \u00a0Remember to be kind to yourself if you flub-up. \u00a0And praise yourself when you make progress.<\/p>\n

Sharing this poem by Joanna Fuchs seems an appropriate way to end an article about beginning the new year:<\/p>\n

New Year\u2019s Reality Check<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Another year, another chance<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

To start our lives anew;<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

This time we\u2019ll leap old barriers<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

To have a real breakthrough.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

We\u2019ll take one little step<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

And then we\u2019ll take one more,<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Our unlimited potential<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

We\u2019ll totally explore.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

We\u2019ll show off all our talents<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Everyone will be inspired;<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

(Whew! While I\u2019m writing this,<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019m getting very tired.)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

We\u2019ll give up all bad habits;<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

We\u2019ll read and learn a lot,<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

All our goals will be accomplished,<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Sigh…or maybe not.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Oh well, Happy New Year anyway!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

May your year be filled with joy and laughter!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! You are probably making promises and commitments to yourself in honor of the new year and focused on looking forward to the future. Traditional resolutions are actions that we are determined to do or not do. Lose weight. Get Fit. Be organized. Eat healthy. Quit smoking and\/or drinking. My resolution from last…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-390","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.laurarothafel.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/390","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.laurarothafel.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.laurarothafel.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.laurarothafel.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.laurarothafel.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=390"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.laurarothafel.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/390\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.laurarothafel.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=390"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.laurarothafel.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=390"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.laurarothafel.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=390"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}