I hope you don’t have one.
I myself think that the whole ‘new year’s resolution’ has become so over-rated and commercialized. I mean let’s get serious here, resolutioners are food for those snake-oil salesmen’s appetites that I continually warn you about. All the fad-diets, gym-memberships and weight-loss guru’s are knocking on your door imploring you to try their product to attain those lofty resolution goals! “This year will be your year”
You know why they are rich? I don’t have any solid proof, but here’s my theory. How many people actually achieve their new year’s resolutions?? Last time I checked, not many. Very few from what I have read and heard.
So each year, after their current resolution has failed (again) people are out searching for the ‘next best thing’. Better yet, how many times have you made the same resolution year after year?
This is why I hope you don’t have a new year’s resolution this year. I for one believe that the idea of a resolution invites a temporary fix or temporary solution. Something that requires you to start at a specific time of year can’t be all it’s cracked up to be.
Putting a required ‘start time’ in order for it to succeed is a recipe for disaster in my book. Honestly, it doesn’t even have to be about weight loss or fitness, or exercise. What if you just wanted to quit a bad habit (chewing gum, biting your fingernails, etc.) ? Or improve something tangible in your life? Decide to be happier every day. Commit to smiling more often. Step outside your comfort zone and say hello to a complete stranger once a week. The list is endless.
As nurses, we spend our days improving the lives of our patients in one way shape or form. Once again, maybe it’s time we started taking care of ourselves?
I think the greatest thing you can do for the new year is just to simply do something positive towards your life. With all the negative things going on in our world we can all use a little more positive. The very best kind of ‘positive’ I can think of is something that you create for yourself.
So instead of the traditional ‘resolution’, I suggest making a new year’s decision. Or maybe a new year’s commitment? How about a new year’s dedication?
Call it what you will, but make sure it’s something permanent.
What do you think? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.
This article was republished with permission from SCRUBS Magazine.
From the get go of seeing this title I was determined to not mince words in my answer and then I was ever so pleasantly surprised with the tone of this article. I was so relieved that I unclesnched my fists took a deep breath and sighed while I changed my mind set.
I never make New Years resolution. My family was never really into it so it wasn’t heavy on tradition in my life. I don’t think you can schedule chage on a calendar as a tradition.
I value change but change is not to be forced or scheduled. It is very often a series of very steps as in the journey of 1,000 miles starts with a single step.
I think our greatest source of helping our patients with change is supporting not were see them but where they see themselves going. That requires us to be open and understand their dreams as muh as possible. The art of nursing in this listening, consistency, openness, honesty, accepting our role as guide not director. It requires flexibility, triage skills, honest exchanges and consideration of timing and more connection to teaming up over the long term. This means if I am a nurse in the hospital I might tend the garden of change in tiny fruitful moments planting seeds that I will never see blossom. I have to count on someone else to water those seeds and pick up the hoe and tend that garden with the patient as it changes blooms and weeds creep in. My best bet is to partner with someone in a clinic who then follows the long term road. If I am that clinic nurse it would be of great value to know how the acute phase played out. What highs and lows were, over what period of time and the heartfelt truths of what we think is happening and I mean more that reading a chart if anyone has the time to do so in the advent of fast care everywhere, number, numbers, numbers!
So why is it we don’t call and give report at discharge to the nurse who will be responsible to tend a common garden and co-plan and perhaps stay in touch through a transition; again the rapid care system inhibit such professionalism nor is the system set up to do so. Though we all “say” we are patient centered, systems are truly NOT patient centered it is system centered, billing centered, sustainbility centered, legality centered and egocentric centered.
We have to look at the whole and all it’s potential connections; the fractures won’t heal themselves or the patients. It gives new meaning to anticipitaory health eduction and activates health planing in the big picture. Nurses are the key here because we could create that kind of change and are likely the only ones willing to.
So let’s ditch the idea of clasically timed New Years Resolutions for ourselves and our patients and grow up and into patient center planning for all.