By Katie Cooper, MS, OTR/L
Occupational Therapist, Central New Jersey
Regional Quality Assurance Liaison

What’s your New Year’s resolution? The question is asked most commonly in the New Year, and something many of us is in the habit of doing. We set resolutions for the New Year to help us make positive changes in our lives. Many times, the resolution is to eat healthier, go to the gym, lose 10 pounds, read more books, etc. But my resolution this year? Ditch the resolution!

Why not set a resolution? For one thing, only 9% of people who make resolutions report being able to keep them. That failure just adds stress to our minds and body. I don’t know about you, but I don’t need more stress in my life. So, I propose a different approach to the New Year — setting achievable, measurable goals that set a vision or intention for your year. 

Let’s look at a traditional resolution of going to the gym more often. Many people want to go to the gym for a variety of health benefits, but that isn’t always enough of a reason for us to stick with this goal and achieve it. And when you pay $200 per month for a gym membership, you probably want to get the benefit from it, right? So what is a better way to frame this resolution so it is a meaningful, achievable goal?

How and Why to Rethink Your Resolutions

Here’s how to reframe the resolution “go to the gym” or whatever your resolution might be.

First, we need to determine what you are really trying to achieve by going to the gym. Think about how you want to feel at the end of 2023. Why do you want to go to the gym? What will this help with? Maybe you are looking to have more energy, be able to run around with your kids without getting winded, feel good in your clothing, have less knee pain, etc. 

After you determine the reason behind your resolution, transition it into a SMART goal. SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Timely. 

Setting SMART Goals

If you are a therapist, you understand a SMART goal. When we work with our patients we are always looking at how to make a goal meaningful, patient-centered, achievable, and measurable. 

For example, a patient who requires total assistance for transfers is most likely not going to be independent in 30 days. Just like we wouldn’t set this type of goal for our patients, we need to do the same for ourselves.

So while a resolution might just be “going to the gym,” your SMART goal could be consistently walking for 20 minutes or attending a 30-minute exercise class twice a week by June 2023 so you’ll have enough energy to run around the soccer field with your daughter every Sunday. In this goal, we have specific information that is measurable and timely. You can also see how adding in the realistic nature of giving options to the goal will make it more achievable. 

In addition to making a SMART goal, we need to find the support and accountability to achieve this goal. As humans, it is very hard to achieve things completely on our own. We can easily get discouraged or distracted, and having people who are cheering us on and checking in on our progress helps keep us on track to achieve our goals. I recommend finding a friend, family member, or group and talking about how you can keep each other accountable on your journey. Even better, if you have a shared goal you are working towards. 

I hope this helped you transition your resolutions into achievable goals for 2023!

Want to dive into this topic deeper? Current FOX colleagues can join me on January 18 from 5:30-6:30 PM ET on Teams to “Create Your Vision for 2023”. Check out FOX4U for more information.

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