One Perspective: How not to make epic resolutions

Veronica Cool, The Daily Record Newswire

What do you want out of life? Do you want to be happy, content and engaged?

At the risk of being a total cliché, it’s past time for New Year’s resolutions. Which I don’t make. I find that they are very band-wagonish, jumping on the wave of “weight loss, new you, new life” commercialism we see everywhere. And, obviously, these resolutions don’t last past mid-January.

I commit to improving my life, family and community EVERY DAY. My process is ongoing, a perpetual learning, pivoting process that reflects the pace and priorities of my life. And New Year’s is a perfect time to share with you; obviously we are not the same, but having an assessment process is invaluable. Use whatever works for you, but don’t be stagnant and stationary … or life will pass you by.

Start by assessing your life plan. Where are you going? In middle and high school, our ultimate goal was college, but we’ve accomplished this. Now what? Are you sparking a movement like MaryBeth Hyland, engaging our millennials to serve and support our community? Are you finding the cure for diseases and illness? Are you growing your business and hiring more employees? Driving economic improvement like Holly Poultry? Where are you going?

Write out your bucket list and then assess what went well that you should continue. What needs to stop because it is simply draining and ineffective? What makes you happy and healthy?
Rarely do we address being self-serving. It is simply not nice to be selfish, yet we all know to put on the oxygen mask first if an airplane is going down. Take care of yourself FIRST. Start small, watch videos, call an expert, ask questions, read and research. And follow through. You control your destiny, so don’t just allow life to pass you by!

More important, our health should be our No. 1 priority. As you know, health is composed of four tenets: nutrition, sleep, fitness and mindfulness. No need to write a dissertation, this is not rocket science.

Nutrition: Stop deep-frying everything, cut back on the sugar and alcohol, eat real, non-processed food, eat WAY less, eat more vegetables (not lathered in dressing, oils or sauces) and, voila, there’s your magic weight-loss pill.

Sleep: It’s essential. It is not an option. Extreme sleep deprivation is psychological torture. And you perform poorly and move/think slowly. Regular sleep is essential. Lab rats chronically deprived of sleep eventually die. Humans are not much different. We need our sleep.

Fitness: Do you drive your car without gas or oil? With bald tires? Without tuning up? Or regular maintenance? Of course not, yet we treat our bodies worse than we would ever consider treating our cars. Every day take 30 minutes to move your body -- walk fast, go up and down stairs, dance, wrestle and play with your kids.

Mindfulness: Build deep relationships, be present, pay attention. Ensure your mind is working properly. Learn and live every moment, whether through yoga, meditation, relaxing and resting your brain so you can function.

Now that you have speed-read through the past several sentences, please stop a moment and apply these to yourself. What is your life plan? What are you doing for yourself in 2016 to improve your health? I promise, you ain’t setting the world on fire if you are not caring for yourself.

And now that we have you healthy, focused, and fit, let’s address YOUR business (and feel free to substitute career, foundation, education or project for business) to ensure you’ve built the sustainable foundation to bolster you, your family and your community.

First, as you did with yourself, ensure that you have a plan for your business. What are your goals for the business? How much will you do in sales? How many people will you employ? How many families will you and your business support and empower?

Revisit your strategic plan. You don’t have one? Then how do you know where you are going? After all you check a map or GPS before going to a new location, no? Same thing for the business. What do you need to get there? Training? Certifications? A revamped marketing plan (maybe targeting millennials or Hispanics)? A new accountant or lawyer? Do you have the right employees, doing the right job?

The goal is to work smarter and support yourself, your family and community to create a legacy that will be bigger than you. When we work with our clients, we cut through the noise and create strategic and marketing plans to achieve these goals, effectively and with tremendous benefits to you, your employees and community. Who are the partners supporting you in your plan and efforts?

See, that’s how we make 2016 EPIC!

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Veronica Cool is founder of Cool & Associates LLC, a business management firm specializing in financial wellness and diverse segment marketing. Her column appears twice a month in The Daily Record and can be found at www.thedailyrecord.com. Contact her at Veronica@CoolAssociatesLLC.com. Follow her on Twitter at @verocool.