You At Your Best

By Karen riCe you at your Best Making resolutions is a great way to consider and set goals. And setting goals can have a greater impact than people may realize. A study among new Harvard MBA graduates found that 13 percent had set goals. When interviewers followed up with those survey participants a decade later, they found that the 13 percent who had set goals were earning, on average, twice as much as the 84 percent of participants who had set no specific goals at all. Lisa Mann, life coach and owner of Natural State Life Coaching in Northwest Arkansas, thinks goals and resolutions are a good idea. So good, in fact, that we should be making them more often. "I love resolutions, however they should be seasonal," Lisa suggests. "Rather than once a year, we should have goals for each season. We are leaving a lot out the equation when we make them only once a year." Lisa believes New Year's resolutions often fail because life gets in the way. That's why she believes it's important to stay flexible. "Things change, and people lose the momentum," she notes. "They have a crisis, a health issue, or something else becomes a priority." Additionally, experts agree that it's important to look at the "why" behind goals and resolutions. People set goals for various reasons, and writing those reasons down can serve as inspiration when challenges arise. For example, if you want to lose weight to fit into that dress for your daughter's wedding, writing that down can provide motivation when your willpower is weak. This works with diet, exercise, career, sleep, relationships and many other personal and health goals. Lisa worked as a RN for 16 years and was a nursing educator, then earned a Master's Degree in Integrative Health. She was led to coaching because of the needs she saw in women that weren't being addressed by traditional medicine. Her integrative approach often involves working with therapists and doctors to address health goals and to create an action plan with accountability. She also refers clients to other health and wellness practitioners, career specialists, etc. One of the reasons people may fail at keeping resolutions may be that deep down, they're afraid of change or believe they can't do it. Lisa works with clients to discover and change those negative beliefs. She helps her clients get clear about their goals and discover the things that are standing in the way of achieving them. When it comes to those roadblocks, Lisa says, "The big ones for women are self- sabotaging thoughts, confidence imbalances, feeling like they have no support and relationship struggles." She uses many techniques to help her clients get clear and focused in body, mind and spirit. These can include guided meditation and grounding exercises, clearing negative emotions, vision boards and connecting with nature. "People often feel like they're going through the motions in life," Lisa points out. "I help them learn to be still and quiet, breathe and tune in to themselves." Lisa and others agree that one way to achieve big goals is to break them down into very small baby steps. No goal is too small, and no big goal should be considered beyond reach. In fact, achieving small goals can provide motivation and inspiration along the way to realizing larger goals. "The focus is bringing people back to their Natural State and helping them discover what it's like to really live the way they want to live," she says. (For more information, visit naturalstatecoaching.com) There are many techniques, strategies and support available to help people set their goals and stay on track toward achieving them. A new year is a great time to start. A life coach weighs in on the importance of goals Tips for keeping your resolutions Did you know? New Year's resolutions may not have much staying power, but the tradition of making them is an enduring one that dates back thousands of years. According to History.com, ancient Babylonians are credited with being the first people to make New Year's resolutions. During Akitu, a 12-day religious festival, the Babylonians would make promises to their gods, and these promises typically focused on being a better person in the coming year. Celebrants of the festival, which was held when crops were planted, a time that marked the beginning of a new year to individuals in certain ancient societies, would promise the gods that they would repay their debts and return any items they had borrowed in the previous year. While these promises might have been the forerunners to modern New Year's resolutions, there is one distinct difference that separates ancient Babylonians from people in modern times. Babylonians believed keeping their word to the gods would curry favor for them in the coming year, while failure to keep their promises would do the opposite. People who make resolutions today typically do so to better themselves and do not fear reprisal from their creator if they fail to live up to their pledges. That's likely a good thing, as various reports suggest that as much as 80 percent of New Year's resolutions are abandoned by the second week of February. lisa Mann, Msn, rn, iwlC life Coach and owner of natural state life Coaching 6 | YOU AT YOUR BEST | nwAdg.cOm/YOUATYOURBEST JAnUARY - RESOlUTiOnS | SATURdAY, dEcEmBER 28, 2019

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