What Are You Committed To?

What’s the most common New Year’s Resolution?  Exercise, physical health, financial health, and more quality time with family are some of the most common New Year’s resolutions made every year, and, for good reason.  We all know that we should do more, eat healthier, be less sedentary, get in better shape, spend less, save more, and be with the ones we love.  It’s hard though!  It means breaking our routines and creating new ones.  We’re all so good at getting into a routine but the creative energy, change of direction, and building momentum for something different is one of the biggest struggles that adults face.  It takes time, energy, and hard work beyond the time, energy, and hard work that we’re already putting into our crowded, over-booked, and busy lives.  At the core of it, a lot of times, such resolutions are calling for a re-alignment of priorities and values.

Indicators We Are Living Outside Our Core Values

• Lack of control and certainty about where our life is heading
• The feeling of running on a treadmill which someone else controls the speed
• Lack of excitement about the future and the life you’re creating
• Stress and anxiety about the future

Life is a journey and as we go along, we become committed to certain things, whether it’s jobs, family, children and extra-curricular activities, sports, and the list goes on.  Our values underlie our commitments and priorities.  Commitment to our core values will generally help to build our own sense of accomplishment, success, and happiness, even if that doesn’t include making more money and having more things.  It belies the quality of life versus the quantity of things, which many Americans are after, especially young adults.

If you’re not sure what your values are, consider the following steps as thoughtful ways to discovery them and to pursue that realignment that we’re after.  You may want to just do one of these steps or all of them as you figure out the key questions “who are you?”  Remember that your answers can change over time because people are dynamic and ever changing along with our surroundings and environments:

• 1. Keep a journal of where you spend most of your time and what activities you’re doing on a daily basis.  You may want to differentiate between different compartments of your life such as: work, family, and recreation.  Doing so can be helpful as you consider what different roles you play in each setting and whether you’re one of the main actors or a supporting cast (no judgment) and how much freedom and responsibility you take on in each venue.
• 2. Write out a list of what’s most important to you.  When you have that list, try to rank them.  Now take your top three items on the list and pursue the “why” question.  Why is _______ important?  Then when you have the “why” to that item, keep asking “why” until you can’t ask “why” anymore.  Here’s an example.

Exercise  –>  Why –> I enjoy being active and fit –> Why –> It makes me feel good about myself –>  I feel empowered and can take control of my life.

• 3. Elaborating on the previous prompt, consider what each of those top three priorities mean to you.  By doing this you can also define what success looks like in each of those priorities as well.  Remember that the more specific you are in defining success, the more you are able to measure whether or not you’re accomplishing your goals for a healthier, more fulfilling life.

  For example: Exercise means an opportunity to relieve stress, take control, socialize, and do a variety of recreational activities that keep me active, healthy, and driving for progress in me being my best.  Success looks 2 runs a week, 1 race each quarter, working out with friends once a week, eating something green every day, and signing up for dodgeball.

• 4. Feeling stuck?  Look up a list of core values and that can help jumpstart the process of figuring out what’s important and why.  Once you have that list, think about ways in which you can achieve those things.  Here’s a list of values on a website:   Top 7 Personal Values

PTI Is Committed To The Following Values

	Being Driven	Being Innovative
	Being Balanced	Being Empowered
	Being Fulfilled	Being Confident

If you missed our Quality Through Qualities series, check it out by clicking on the links above.  Those are the things that we stand for and, we hope, that every minute of our day can be traced back to one or more of those values.  If you need help with getting a jumpstart, overcoming obstacles, building better mental and emotional health for this year, consider us as the the All-Star team that wants to go to bat for you.  We always ready and standing by with the most up to date research, techniques, and technology to put you in the fast lane of recovery.  Most importantly, we have the best people on our team, which means, you get the very best people on your team from the moment you step through our doors!