LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

I love the start of a New Year. After the hustle and bustle of the holidays, I enjoy returning to a sort of revived routine. It’s a nice change of pace to seek innovative ways to challenge myself and accomplish new goals at the start of the year. Yes, I identify as a true, type-A goal getter. Resolutions might feel silly to some. However, others reap positive rewards from taking time to reflect and set annual resolutions. There are a few ways that resolutions can help you, too.

• Time for learning. We often rush through daily life without stopping or slowing down to truly assess the impact of our everyday actions. Resolutions help you reflect on the past, present and future, to figure out what has been working and what may need to be changed to benefit your physical and mental well-being.

• Practice setting goals. For some people, goals help provide direction. A goal is like a map that can advise the actions or paths one might need to take to lead a more fulfilling life.

Resolutions can be fun, lowpressure goals. Consider these objectives as dress rehearsals for life’s many transitions.

• Welcome positive change. When something isn’t working to your benefit, including personal health or relationships, resolutions can serve as the catalyst that ultimately corrects the course.

• Improve self-esteem and empowerment. Making resolutions and keeping them can provide a sense of accomplishment that comes with goal-setting and following through. Resolving to lose five pounds and then seeing the proof on a scale can be a powerful motivator that compels you to make other self-improvements.

Accomplishing small goals also can boost self-esteem.

Though resolutions are made at the dawn of a new year, it is never too late to set a goal for yourself. Simply setting a goal can provide a spark of motivation and the sense of direction many people need to make positive changes in their lives. In the meantime, you can read more advice on setting realistic goals that honor our physical, mental, emotional and spiritual needs in another fantastic issue of Four Corners Healthy Living.