New Year’s Resolutions!
December 28, 2021
With New Year’s Day right around the corner, we need to take some time to reflect on 2021, set our resolutions for 2022, and work on our own goals for the next year. It is important to celebrate the new year in your own way, but we cannot lose sight of where we have gone and what we have done over the past year.
At Witte Physical Therapy we have moved into our new space in Plattsmouth, we have expanded our staff and services, and we have worked to become more involved in our communities. We continue to work with our staff to better their skills and knowledge to enhance the patient experience. We have added more space and improved the functionality of our clinics. We are also adding a golf simulator for our patients and the community to rent out starting in 2022!
The purpose of this blog is two-fold. First to talk about the importance of reflection. Reflection gives us the time the stop our busy lives and schedule, to think about how our activities and situations have played out over the past year, to review how we handled ourselves in these areas, and to begin to learn how we would or would not make changes in the future.
The second purpose of this blog is to learn how to set SMART goals for the upcoming year. These goals could be personal, such as financial, spiritual, healthy, family, etc; or they could be related to our career. Whatever your goals are and however you want to set them it is important to follow the SMART goal framework to ensure that they are specific and attainable.
S – Specific: We need to make sure our goal is spelled out. This includes who or what it is for, who is responsible for it, and what needs to be done to accomplish it. For example, I want to lose 20 pounds in 2022.
M – Measurable: How are you going to make sure that you are meeting your goal? Is it measured in pounds lost, money gained, the number of times you are going to go to the gym, etc? For example, I want to lose 20 pounds in 2022 by going to the gym 7 days per week.
A – Attainable: We all want to win a million dollars in 2022 but is this achievable. Can you expect to make it to the gym 7 days a week when you are busy with your work and your kid’s activities a few days a week? Setting high goals is great, but if you cannot reach them then you will not follow through. For example, I want to lose 20 pounds in 2022 by going to the gym 4 days per week.
R – Relevant: If you have a goal of losing 20 pounds in 2022, then why set a goal that is not related to that. This means that if you want to look good in a swimsuit in 2022, a goal to lose 20 pounds is relevant. If you want to earn more money in 2022 then it is possible that there are more relevant goals for you to set than to lose 20 pounds. For example, I want to lose 20 pounds in 2022 by going to the gym 4 days per week so that I can look better in my swimsuit this summer.
T – Timeframe: We must have an end date on our goals. If our goal is to lose 20 pounds in 2022, how likely are you to follow that for 12 months. Goals don’t need to set for 12 months, but they can be set in steps for 2022. A goal to lost 10 pounds by Easter is achievable. Once that goal is met then set a goal to lose the next ten. For example, I want to lose 20 pounds by Memorial Day 2022 by going to the gym 4 days per week so that I can look better in my swimsuit this summer.
By using the SMART goal framework, you will find that you can set specific short and/or long term goals to help you meet your resolutions for 2022. Set a goal for health, a goal for family, a goal for finance, and a goal for your career. Write them down, work hard to follow and achieve them, and then reflect on your progress next December 28, 2022!