Happy New Year! Meadows Crossing would like to wish our residents and friends at Grand Valley all the best in this coming year. The turning of the year is a good time for reflection and for making resolutions, of course. Have you made any resolutions this year?
Reflecting on Successes and Failures
News and entertainment outlets always do their ”Best Of” stories at the end of the year, giving their readers a chance to look back at the good that happened in music, books, movies and television, in politics, and in life. It can be fun to read through these lists and remember or make notes of what you missed and would like to catch up on. It’s valuable to do this in your real life too.
Making Resolutions
Looking back, it’s useful to consider both the successes and failures of the previous year. The wins we have encourage and motivate us to continue our trek towards greater success and happiness. The failures offer us lessons in choices we made that didn’t work out or opportunities we missed and could have taken advantage of. What are some areas of life to review?
Professional Goals
People are most likely to review their professional goals at the end of the year – for good reason. Success in school or career propels people forward and enables them to have the resources they need to pay their bills, support their families, and live life. Do you have a 5-year plan of where you would like to be half a decade from now? What kind of job do you have your sights on? Will you start your own business? What does that plan require of you this year? In evaluating your professional goals, using the SMART goal system can help you make the steps you need to take more concrete and achievable. SMART stands for:
- Specific
- Measurable
- Achievable
- Relevant
- Time bound
Personal Goals
Most people have personal resolutions as well as professional ones. These tend to be the goals we talk about at New Year’s. They include losing weight, working out more, drinking less, and eating better. If you haven’t yet visited our bigger and better Fitness Center, please do. It’s great to have a place to go year round to get some healthy exercise, especially when the weather is bad. Exercise is consistently tied to better mental health and attitude too. If you’re looking to lose weight and get in shape this year, take time out for fitness.
Family Goals
Sometimes we neglect to set goals centered around our family life. Having good, close relationships with our family members – whether that’s the families we come from or the families we make – makes life enjoyable. Setting family goals may mean putting aside time to go on vacation with your family or just taking the time to have lunch with a parent or a sibling every so often. It might also mean talking with family about things that you need personally, emotionally, or professionally. Maybe 2020 is the year you will decide to make things permanent with your significant other – that’s a family goal worth celebrating!
Personal Interests
We all have our interests, the things that we do in our spare time, like playing the piano or hiking. Spending time doing what we enjoy is another way to make life rich even when money is tight. You may have a New Year’s resolution to read more novels or to learn to crochet this year. Learning a new skill or craft can be so rewarding.
Sometimes these interests intersect with the community or the outside world. Maybe 2020 is the year you’d like to work with injured animals, help a politician run for office, or join a church choir. Maybe you’d just like to get to know your neighbors at Meadows Crossing better. Becoming part of a group or organization can be a good way to stretch yourself and also to make contacts that will help you as you move into the world and take on greater responsibilities.
The Steps to Take to Make a Resolution a Reality
Many people struggle with how to make a resolution a reality. Glenn Turek, Meadows Crossing’s owner, gives this advice:
“When I look at my life’s successfully implemented Resolutions, the most important first step for me was writing down my Resolution and then writing down the baby steps to take to achieve my Resolution.
For example, I have decided that I want to learn how to play Bridge and so here is my “baby step” plan for achieving this Resolution:
1) My first step is to locate Bridge classes offered through our local Community Education Program.
2) My next step is to go online and study and memorize the rules of Bridge.
3) My next step is to play at least 4 ghost hands of Bridge every night while watching the 11 PM news (ghost hands means I am playing against Imaginary opponents).
4) My next step is to join a Community Education Program.
5) My next step is to join a Bridge Club.”
It’s easy to see why using this kind of multi-step approach makes any resolution a more do-able proposition.
Because we believe in helping our residents meet their resolutions, whether they are personal or professional, Meadows Crossing has invested in improving our amenities. If your goals this year include studying more, check out our Study Center. If you would like to spend more time with friends, our Rec Room is a great place for hanging out and enjoying yourself. Our Fitness Center is the best facility off campus in Allendale. We want you to use these resources to make this year better and your goals more achievable.
Taking time to reflect, meditate and think about your life is an important part of your personal journey. When you take stock of your life, visualize the future you’d like to have, and decide what changes you will make to help get you there, you’re being proactive and pushing yourself closer to getting that future.
What resolutions do you have for the new year?
