Why a wellness vision is a great first step in setting up health goals for the new year and hitting the mark.
Have you noticed that there is often a gap between what we want to do and what we actually do? You have every intention of exercising more, eating less and reading more, but when it comes to actually doing it you may fall short.
The result may be that you blame yourself. If you only had tried harder, stuck to the program, weren't so lazy or had more motivation. We are culturally conditioned to internalize these so-called failures by putting the blame squarely on ourselves (Fogg). But as Fogg writes, this inaction is not your fault. Instead it is a design flaw in how most of us think about habits. And the good news is that we can change the design.
One fun way of starting to change your behaviors is to figure out where exactly it is you want to go and why. Your map and guide to your intended destination is your wellness vision.
How to start your own Wellness Vision?
You have to know where you are going in order to get there. And the clearer we are the easier and more fun it will be.
Get a paper and pen, or your journal, and start mapping out your own vision for your health and wellness.
1. The first step towards change starts with some what questions.
Ask yourself the following questions:
What do you want for yourself?
What do you want more of in your life?
What gives your life purpose?
What makes you happy?
When we really focus on our dreams and aspirations we may realize that what we truly want is not exactly what we thought we wanted. Your dreams may even change as you go through the process.
Remember change is a process, not an event!
Continue to zero in on your health by thinking back to a time when you felt really healthy and describe how that felt. Ask yourself:
What are they key ingredients to being your healthiest self?
How do you see yourself a year from now?
2. Your personal why.
Why are you going on this journey? Knowing the why is as important as knowing the what in order to get to your desired destination.
Why is "this" important to you?
What excites you about being healthy?
When you explore the reasons why you have a certain dream or wish for a certain outcome you are also exploring your values and beliefs. It may also say something about how you want to see yourself; your own self-identity.
For example you may wish to lose x amount of weight or to run a 10k. Why? Maybe to increase your self-confidence, your health or to have more energy? Maybe you wish to be the person that you know you truly are and to be who you are meant to be.
Understanding your why is a great step to finding your motivation. Finding your life goals is the key to understanding what motivates you (Miller & Rollnick). And when you know what motivates you, you can lean on it when things feel a bit more tough and challenging.
3. Who are your fellow travelers?
On any trip you take you bring with you or encounter fellow travelers. And these companions are usually a very important part of your journey.
One way to illuminate who you would like to bring with you on your journey is to write down your name or "me" in the middle of the paper. Continue by drawing circles around your name and fill in the names of the people who are in your life (family, friends, colleagues, etc). Put the names of those who are the most important to your journey closest to you and continue outwards (Jordan). In each circle you may want to add a few words about how and why this person supports you.
Some questions to consider are:
Who are people you trust and value who have supported you in the past and will again?
Who are your role models?
From vision to reality
As you finish your wellness vision the last question I like to ask is:
Look into your future, as the person you are in your wellness vision, what do you see and how do you feel?
Hold on to that feeling.
Many people like to turn their wellness vision into a mood board - a collection of things that inspire you. Be creative and have fun, add pictures, lyrics, poems and whatever you would like. Put on your favorite song and dream big.
Once you have a vision of your future and you know your destination, you are ready to start your journey.
I will be holding a FREE wellness vision workshop online at the end of January to help you kick off the new year right. Please check my website www.simplynordichealth.com or email me at linda@simplynordichealth.com for more details. Date to be announced soon!
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Sources
Fogg, BJ (2020). Tiny Habits. The Small Changes That Change Everything. Mariner Books.
Jordan, Meg (2021). How to Be a Health Coach. An Integrative Wellness Approach (2nd ed). Global Medicine Enterprises, Inc.
Miller, W.R., & Rollnick, S. (2013). Motivational Interviewing. Helping People Change (3rd ed). The Guildford Press.
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