Scoreboard of New Year’s resolutions in Q1!

“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland. (Isaiah 43:18-19)

Scoreboard of New Year’s resolutions in Q1! At the start of the year I wrote a blog post on New Year resolutions and my intention this year was to actually have a cultural change. By not doing the same things that I have always done which have obtained very little results. I decided to reset, realign and restart. So to keep my endeavours on track I decided to review my progress every quarter. We are now approaching the end of Q1 and it is time to take a long hard look at what I have been up to. This time round after deciding on my resolutions, I cast a vision for each one. Then I determined an accompanying motivating factor and lastly I defined set goals.

Casting a vision

Previously, in years past I would select my new year resolutions but not apply myself to them. In other words I wouldn’t fully commit. I would limit my commitment to ticking the box that the resolutions have been made. But this year I decided to cast a vision, a biblical principle that Jesus used in His ministry. My understanding of casting a vision is take the resolution and visualise it using my very active imagination, to see what it would look like in real life or what I am aspiring to become. An example is the typical ‘lose weight’ resolution which is popular at the start of the year and which I am guilty of rolling over for a number of years. My vision is to be a healthier, stronger, fitter version of myself.

Selecting a key motivating factor

After casting a vision, I found it was necessary to motivate myself by choosing a key motivating factor. Why do I want to lose weight? What motivates my desire to be healthy, strong and fit? What can I do today to attain my vision for tomorrow? I realised I want to lose weight so that I am less likely to fall sick and reduce the chances of falling victim to lifestyle diseases. I want to live long enough to see my grandchildren and watch them grow. It is not my ambition to become a financial burden to my family because of health related issues. I want to do exciting things in my old age and do not want my health to be a restricting factor.

Setting specific goals

Last but not least I needed to create specific goals for each resolution. Continuing with the example of the ‘lose weight’ resolution I decided exercise was the way to go. I would get healthier, stronger and fitter as opposed to going on a diet which will enable me to lose weight but from past experience that weight loss has not been sustainable. Running seemed an excellent choice because no gym fees, no equipment required and ideally I could do it anytime by just walking out of my gate. I made a plan to run at least 3 times a week with a minimum of once a week.

Now that I have been doing this for three months, I realise I have not been successful about tracking my progress and hence I have decided to get more rigorous in keeping records. I will be discussing this on facebook live this Saturday at 7:30 PM EAT. Please join me, it should be fun!https://www.facebook.com/annamaria.mwachinga