Make Uncommon But Valuable Resolutions

Jan. 1, 2016
As we go into the New Year, let's consider resolutions that are NOT on a schedule but instead are of value for the rest of our lives.

Every year we all know people who make a ton of resolutions and every year we know a fair number of people who have set those resolutions aside well before February; some of them don’t even make it a week.  I saw a meme on Facebook that said something about opening a gym called “Resolutions” that would change over to a bar after about two weeks.  That seems about right.  While we don’t really need to wait for a new year to make positive change in our lives, I feel like it might help if we at least made resolutions that were a bit broader and of higher value if we can succeed in them.

What am I talking about?  Well, let’s take a look at one of the most common resolutions: “I’m going to lose weight and get in better shape.”  It’s one that many of us have made and one that a LOT of people make every year.  My question is, why does it ever have to get made twice?  I submit to you that it gets made every year by people who view it as a short term goal and people who can’t really define what they mean by it.  Sure, we can measure weight loss – but losing ten pounds doesn’t necessarily mean we’re in better physical condition.  That “get in better shape” part really is kind of… blurry.

Let’s start out accepting that if we make that resolution, what we really mean is that we want to improve our quality of life and extend the length of that quality life by living a healthier lifestyle.  Doing that doesn’t have a time limit and it doesn’t have a finite goal.  It doesn’t include “I’ll lose X number of pounds,” nor does it have a termination date for when you stop pursuing improved fitness.  Additionally, those things actually are different for a twenty-two year old individual as compared to a fifty-one year old individual.  Interestingly, this year, I’ve run into a lot more physical fit 30- and 40-somethings than I have 20-somethings.

What I’m suggesting is that if you’re going to make a resolution about improving your health and fitness, you can’t do it attached to the notion that it will take you a year.  We ALL know, when we think about it, that our health and fitness really is “use it or lose it.”  Using myself as an example, had I worked to maintain the fitness level I achieved through Basic Training and Military Police School (when I was nineteen years old), it would be FAR easier for me to have an acceptable percentage of body fat, I’d likely not have the knee issues I have, and exercising would be so much of a habit that my day would feel incomplete without it.  Instead, I am working to get BACK to some semblance of that physical condition because I certainly let it slide for about fifteen years (30-45).

Let’s also consider why we make such a resolution.  Many folks are motivated by how they look in their clothes or in a bathing suit.  Some folks are realizing that they have a closet full or drawer full of items that no longer fit because the waist size has gotten too small.  Some folks have a doctor’s visit for an annual checkup and get the same lecture from the doctor for the third, fourth, fifth, tenth year in a row: You need to lose weight and exercise more.  Some folks who make that resolution are lucky enough to make it because they are older and are blessed with grandchildren but they suddenly realize that keeping up with those grandchildren can’t be done by out of shape and lazy people.  It takes an in-shape and active grandparent to wear out a grandchild.

Given our profession of law enforcement, it’s an unfortunate reality that some of us realize we need to get in better shape when we get into a foot chase and, whether we catch the subject or not, we end up looking at our lunch on the ground in front of us after the chase is over, OR (God forbid) we end up in the back of an ambulance with an oxygen mask on trying to recover.

Here is reality my brothers and sisters:  We work in an unforgiving profession and it gets less forgiving every day.  Our profession carries with it certain risks and can contribute to many unhealthy habits, all of which can potentially shorten our lives and decrease the quality of life we enjoy for what life we each have left.  All of that impacts our life AWAY from the job where we desperately need high quality time with our families and other people in our lives who are part of our emotional support system.

Is this a lecture about getting in shape, being healthier, etc?  No.  It’s actually meant to be a discussion about why any New Year’s Resolution you make should have a holistic focus on what the end goal is: a generally happier, healthier, longer, high quality life.  Isn’t that what ALL resolutions are ultimately about?

The reality is our health and fitness level impacts our life in every way.  How much and in what ways we can enjoy our life each day is limited (or not) by our health and fitness level.  For us, in law enforcement, our health and fitness level impacts our officer survival abilities.  If you’re single, how much you can enjoy each day is impacted by your health and fitness level. If you’re married, how much you can enjoy each day with your spouse is impacted by your health and fitness level.  If you’re a student, parent, grandparent, mountain climber, firefighter, pole dancer…  it doesn’t matter.  Your health and fitness level impacts just how much you can enjoy whatever you enjoy every day.

Paying attention to your health and fitness should be something that starts on a calendar and stops on a schedule.  It’s something you should pay attention to every day for the rest of your life, with the goal of improving it somehow every day for the rest of your life.  It is NOT something you should be miserable about doing.  I’m NOT saying that you should “eat clean” to the point where you actually don’t like to take in a meal.  It’s entirely possible to make small changes in what you eat, some substitutions perhaps, that allow you to still enjoy food but be doing your body some good.  I have never understood folks who make themselves miserable while they try to improve their quality of life.  That makes no sense to me.

While you’re in the process of improving your health and fitness through a bit healthier eating and adding in some activity to improve your fitness (strength, flexibility and endurance), also make time to strengthen your mind and your soul.  NEVER stop being a student.  Try to learn something new every day.  Read something that helps calm your thoughts after a day on the streets.  Take a walk and actively look for the beauty along the way.  Do these things to help maintain a positive outlook and not let the negativity of our job bury you OR your mind.  I have often thought that the police academy should have a class on finding the beauty of life in the least expected of places.  We’re taught stress management (kind of) but not the value of a positive outlook.  Focus on that positive outlook a bit more each day and appreciate each day for the opportunities it can bring.

Ultimately your resolution(s) should be – in my humble opinion – about improving your quality of life and extending how long you can enjoy it.  That means committing to being healthier and more fit; that means paying attention to what’s going on around you and being aware of what risks are there; that means increasing the value of your down time so you can better charge your emotional batteries; that means appreciating the blessings and good fortune you do have in your life to help you maintain a better outlook.

Carry THAT into the New Year… but not for the year; for the rest of your life.  Make that positive change in your outlook this year and add to it; build upon it; increase it constantly as you go.

Have a Happy and Safe New Year – for the rest of your life!

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