Even if you work full-time for one employer it’s important to recognize that you have two additional jobs that are at least as important as the one for which you receive pay, and the best leaders reinforce this reality with their team members.

• Make your resolutions specific and measurable so there’s no wiggle room when it comes to knowing whether or not you’ve accomplished your goals. “I will take a walk that lasts at least 20 minutes on at least two days every week” or “I will put at least $25 into my savings account after receiving every paycheck” or “I will donate at least one hour each month to a community service that helps people in need,” instead of “I will exercise more” or “I will save more” or “I will volunteer my time more.”
• 3 to 5 resolutions at most! They should be simply stated and easy to remember.
• Write your resolutions down and carry them with you in your purse or wallet. Writing down your goals makes it much more likely that you’ll follow through.
• Make your resolutions achievable, not overly ambitious. Notice that above I wrote “at least 3 days each week” instead of “every day.” Setting overly ambitious resolutions is a recipe for disappointment, frustration, and giving up.
• Have a check-in conversation with yourself at least once a week. If you haven’t followed through on a goal, review the obstacles that contributed to this. See this review as a learning experience and use what you’ve learned to help you get back on track.
• Tell people who love and respect you what you’ve resolved to do and encourage them to ask how you’re doing at achieving your goals and bug you, in the nicest possible way, about following through. This kind of loving accountability can work wonders.
• Use all available supports. If you are an employee and saving money is a goal, look into the automatic payroll deduction and saving options that your employer may offer. If moving more, better nutrition, meditation, learning a language, musical instrument, or some other skill is on your list, look into the apps and classes that are available. Consider hiring a coach if you have the means to do so.
• Give yourself small rewards as you follow through, even if this only means taking a moment to congratulate yourself. Savoring our achievements encourages us to keep going.
• If you are a parent, make sure to let your child know what you’re up to. Knowing that they are rooting for you will help you keep on track. You will also be providing great role-modeling for them on how to work toward personal goals.
• It’s important to note that very small, easily achievable behavior changes often spark even more significant changes. Success at making small positive changes in our behavior fuels the self-esteem and motivation that leads to bigger changes.

 

 

 

• Health is multifaceted, including physical, emotional, social, financial/economic dimensions.
• One of the least mentioned dimensions of health and one that may be of singular importance is spiritual health.
• Spiritually healthy people feel connected to something positive that’s greater than themselves. They experience a sense of purpose that contributes something helpful to the world, feelings of gratitude, and they demonstrate generosity toward others.
• Together, these ways of being help spiritually healthy people feel grounded, optimistic, and joyful—all of which are keys to resilience within our complex world.
• Thanksgiving and the upcoming holidays are all about gratitude, giving, reflection, and looking toward what lies ahead, so what better time to talk about how parents can help our kids build spiritual health?
• As with so much of parenting, our position as a role model is key.
• We can show our children and talk with them about the ways that we experience connection to that which is greater than ourselves.
• This may involve our connection to a community of faith, the natural world, music and other aspects of culture, community organizations, and the work that we do for a living.
• We can talk with our child about the ways that we prioritize gratitude.
• Some of us may spend a few moments every morning or evening saying out loud a few things that we’re grateful for. Some people keep a gratitude journal. We may invite our child to do the same.
• We may invite our child to participate in giving activities such as volunteering at a local food bank, community kitchen, or animal shelter.
• We may help our child prepare and deliver holiday gifts to families in need.
• All parents want our children to live joyful, fulfilling, successful lives. We can help them realize this aspiration by guiding them toward developing a foundation of spiritual health.

• With today being the day for primary elections in Mass and the 11/3 presidential election fast approaching, parents have a special opportunity to help our kids understand our system of government and voting as a key responsibility of citizenship.
• While our kids, hopefully, are learning about the rights and responsibilities of US citizenship in school, we can reinforce their learning through conversations about:
  • The three co-equal branches of our federal government: Legislative (Congress), Judicial (Supreme Court), and Executive (President).
  • The similarities and differences between the House of Reps and Senate.
  • The importance of our free press.
  • Freedom of speech (“Democracy is not a spectator sport.”)—the right to participate by sharing your thoughts with your elected officials, writing letters to local press outlets, protesting when you feel compelled to do so, and running for elected office.
  • Freedom of religion: the separation between church and state.
  • The ideal of equal protection for us all.
  • Some of the peculiarities of our system:
    • Electoral College
    • The overriding importance of two political parties
  • We may describe some of the ways that our governmental system differs from a parliamentary system, such as those found in Canada and many other nations.
  • We can emphasize voting as one of the most important responsibilities of citizenship—and how this responsibility calls us to:
    • Understand the issues of our time.
    • Know where our candidates stand on these issues.
    • Make informed decisions about who we’ll vote for and how we’ll vote on any ballot questions.
  • We can emphasize the importance of all levels of government and, therefore, all elections and not just presidential elections.
  • One of the most important things we can do for our kids is invite them to join us when we visit our polling station (or post office) to cast our vote. This close-to-first-hand experience can be a memorable one.
  • And, of course, it’s important to remember that we will always be among our child’s most important role models.
  • Seeing the importance that you give to the responsibilities of citizenship and voting in particular will increase the likelihood that your child will do the same.