Forget Your Own Resolutions

It's that time of year again.  We are all trying to become better versions of ourselves. 

Have you told yourself one of the following: I'm going to exercise more.  I'm going to eat healthier.  I'm going to spend more quality time with the people I love. I'm going to sleep more. I'm going to drink more water. And on and on...

We know all of these things will be good for us, but the bitter truth is that most of these resolutions fail. It's not all your fault though. We're fighting an uphill battle. Our environment and who we surround ourselves with impacts our own health, and living a different life from what is considered "normal" by today's standards can be hard and isolating.

We want to eat healthier, but every week there is another health guru or article contradicting the next, and in our time-starved lives we need to reach for something quick. It turns out the majority of things that are quick and within reach happen to be junk food or highly processed. We know we shouldn't - but we eat it anyway.

We want to move more, but jobs force many office workers to sit for extended parts of the day staring at a screen without normal breaks. Social and entertainment activities are also more likely to be sedentary for many people. To fit in with the norm we go from sitting at work or school to sitting at a restaurant or bar to sitting at a theater or lying down on the couch to binge a new show. We're tired from the constant barrage of content, advertising, ideas, and social media. The fatigue just continues to grow over time, and the cycle repeats itself each day.

So what do you do when the external factors facing you make it hard to make healthy life choices? Instead of trying to "fix" yourself, look outside. Help others. Help improve your environment to encourage healthier behaviors and choices for your friends, families, colleagues, local schools, religious communities, and the strangers you meet along the way. 

If we change our environment and the cultural norms we live in we can create true lasting change. It not only feels good to help others but by improving the conditions for someone else in your life you make it easier for you to follow suit. Maybe someone else wants to walk more. Can you be their walking buddy? Do you know colleagues who want to drink more water? Try to have water out at meetings so it's easily accessible, or get a funny group water bottle or large glasses that everyone can use.

Does your partner want to stop scrolling at night? Keep a visible tally chart when you catch them on their phone when they agreed they don't want to be, or designate a place to put your phones when you are trying to be present and avoid the notifications.

When the people around you are on board to make positive changes, to challenge the norms of society, accept assistance, and work as a team we can make incredible progress.

So this year make a resolution to make someone else's life better — in even the smallest of ways. You might just be surprised how it positively affects yours.

Here's to a more powerful and less painful 2023.

Cheers!