New Year’s Resolutions in Lincoln, NE

Welcome to 2016 – have you set your New Year’s resolutions yet? If not, don’t worry, it’s never too late to set a new goal and work towards bettering yourself! Likewise, even if you know what your goal(s) are for the coming year, the next step is planning how you’ll reach them.

Improving Your Health & Fitness

When it comes to New Year’s resolutions, among the most popular are health and fitness related: eating healthier, working out regularly, quitting smoking, cutting down on alcohol intake, incorporating more all-natural products and holistic remedies, and so on. While it sounds easy enough, we are all-too-familiar with how hard it can be to stick to these goals past the first month or two. However, it can be done and it’s well worth giving it your best shot!

Oftentimes the first step towards achieving a goal is to find someone to partner with who will lead you in the right direction.

“Capital City Fitness will help take you from where you are to where you want to be with regards to your fitness goals,” says Mike Bevard, owner of Capital City Fitness & Performance / TFW-Lincoln. “Our mission is simple: To help you build muscle, burn fat, and feel good about yourself. We believe in making fitness and nutrition easy to understand for each person and cutting through the confusion and complication that is often seen in the fitness industry today. Not only will you be in better shape by joining our program, with our unmatched motivation and personal development component you get with each training session, you’ll become an even better person.

With goal setting in mind, something powerful that we do at Capital City Fitness is our end of the year ‘Promises’ workout where our students train and plan their goals for the upcoming year all in the same session. You can do this too by making yourself a comprehensive written list of 20 or more powerful promises to fulfill within the new year. I recommend that you split your promises for the year down into three specific areas: Physical, Spiritual/Well Being and Financial. When drawing up your list, attempt to make the promises both specific and as realistic as possible. The promises should be something that you can attain with hard work and the specificity will give you something exact for which to strive.

(Note that I am calling these promises, not goals or resolutions. People often make resolutions and goals and then do not stick to them or see them through. These are no longer strong enough words. Goals and resolutions are often quickly forgotten, but a promise to oneself is meant to be kept!)

Once your list is completed, make a few copies of the list and hang them prominently in a few places that you will see every day. You should also cross off each promise once it is attained in 2016 or keep a running list of your totals so that at year’s end you can see how many promises you kept to yourself.”

He adds, “One big mistake people often make when setting goals for the New Year is not clearly defining their mission and purpose in life. Your purpose is your fundamental reason that you exist. The most successful people in the world had this sense of purpose, or their ‘calling.’ What is your mission? What is your crusade, the big change you’re trying to create in the world to help others? These are tough questions but if you don’t know who you are and where you’re going, you cannot create meaningful goals. To help figure out your mission and purpose, here are some questions to ask yourself. What did you want to be when you grew up? What is your dream now? What places do you want to go? What things do you want to learn and do? Be a dreamer and DREAM BIG!”

Sarah Brown, co-owner of Lincoln DanceCentre, agrees that change requires honest evaluation and commitment. “With so much of a focus on immediate gratification nowadays, we’ve started to believe there has to be a fast way to change our diet, lifestyle or physical appearance.  The truth is, there’s no quick fix.  Be very suspicious of any product, program or person who tries to convince you otherwise—especially if doing so will take money out of your pocket and in to theirs.

Go back and read Merriam-Webster’s definition of a resolution.  It implies that a resolution is not a singular thought or idea about something we want to have or achieve.  That would be a wish instead of a resolution.  A resolution is actually the plan you create to go about resolving a problem you’ve identified. Plans usually take more than one step to finish, they often need changes along the way, and sometimes hiring a professional is necessary if you don’t have the knowledge or skills to create or carry out the plans yourself.  So when you create a resolution, understand that achieving success will most likely require an extended personal commitment, some investment of time and possibly finances, and maybe even professional assistance.

Furthermore, Albert Einstein said it best when he defined the term ‘insanity’ as, ‘Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.’  If you want a different result for any aspect of your life, then trying something other than what you’ve always done is required.  At Lincoln DanceCentre you can take adult ballet to exercise both your body and your mind. Choosing a form of exercise like ballet that requires continuous mindful focus instead of something such as running on a treadmill where you can mentally ‘zone out’ is beneficial because you are less likely to get bored, or even worse, get injured.

In fact, ballet classes are actually a really popular exercise option and recreational activity for adults of all ages, genders, and abilities in larger metropolitan cities such as New York, Chicago, San Francisco, etc.  On most weeknights in those places, the barres—not the bars—are literally packed!  The programming at our studio has always been known for having a current and progressive approach to dance education. Therefore, our adult class is formulated to meet the adult learning mind with a fusion of fitness, art and culture.

So, as you’re setting your New Year’s resolutions for 2016, my advice is to know the difference between wishing and planning.  A resolution is not a wish.  It may start that way; with a thought of how things could be different.  But in order to be successful you need to follow up that wish with a plan.  Don’t just think—DO.  Don’t just be—BECOME.  Have COURAGE to commit to carving a new path for your thoughts and actions.  Old roads are easily traveled, but remember, they always lead to the places you’ve been before.”

Furthering Your Education

Learning something new is indeed an admirable goal to set for each new year. Taking that a step further, your goals might include continuing your education and pursuing that degree you’ve set your sights on.

“SCC is a great place to turn New Year’s resolutions into a reality,” says Kat Kreikemeier, Director of Admissions/Career Advising at Southeast Community College. “With more than 50 diverse academic programs and a multitude of continuing education opportunities for additional job training and personal enrichment, there truly is something for everyone. SCC provides students with an excellent education at an incredible price. Our graduates obtain great jobs and are often specifically sought out by area employers. Each SCC campus has dedicated admissions and financial aid staff available to assist new students with every step of the enrollment process. Career advisors also are available to assist current and prospective students in identifying career goals.”

She further advises, “The most important thing to be aware of and prepare for when making this type of resolution is the level of commitment that is needed to be successful. That level of commitment includes considering life responsibilities such as the need to work, child care, balancing personal relationships, and prioritizing other activities or involvement. Taking classes requires time for both attending the class and the accompanying homework. Making sure that you are ready to make class attendance and homework a priority is crucial. Sometimes, that does mean that work schedules need to change, or maybe you’ll need to sit out of a softball or bowling league for a while. But the good news is that it’s only temporary. Once you’ve completed your education, you’ll be able to readjust your schedule and re-prioritize things again.

To set yourself up for success with your resolution, first talk to those around you. Let your support system know your goal and that you’re ready to enroll in classes. Their support will help you make your goal a reality. Then, schedule an appointment with a career advisor at any of SCC’s campuses. The career advisor will answer your questions and assist you in connecting your goal to an educational pathway. They’ll walk you through the enrollment process, explain admissions requirements, introduce resources, and refer you to other valuable resources.

Above all, remember that you’re not alone! Our staff is committed to helping others obtain their educational goals, and as such, we’re there every step of the way.”

Particularly for those in the business world, earning an MBA degree is a fantastic goal to set for a variety of reasons.

“The MBA provides you with the opportunity to either sharpen your general management skills or it can provide you with new skills to assist in making a career change,” says Richard DeFusco, Director of MBA/MABA Programs at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln College of Business Administration.  “Our program’s flexibility and affordability make it an outstanding choice.

If you decide on pursing an MBA at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln you will be receiving your education from a Big Ten school with top notch research faculty.  Our faculty has extensive work experience that adds to the MBA experience.  We offer the MBA both on campus and online.  Regardless of your career goals, our program can be structured to suit your needs. Elective courses can be used to pursue general management knowledge or you can choose to specialize in a particular area of business.  Along with our outstanding faculty, you will interact with a cohort of bright and motivated MBA students.

The MBA is a 48-hour program comprised of ten core courses and six electives.  We have rolling admissions and you can start during any one of the five 8-week terms we offer.  Our typical student works full time and takes one course per term.  When you consider balancing work and life concerns, the MBA program on average takes 3 to 4 years to complete.

Once you decide that the MBA is the right choice, you should plan on taking the GMAT or GRE examination.  You can visit our program website (http://mba.unl.edu) for more information on applying to our program.”

No matter what your resolutions are for 2016, it’s important not to go it alone. There are plenty of experts in the Lincoln community that can help you get from where you’re at now to where you want to be. Reaching your goals will take work and perseverance, but as with anything worth doing, the results will be well worth the effort. Remember, it’s much more about progress than perfection—moving forward in a positive direction is always better than remaining in the same place. Set those goals now and find the best ways for you to make them happen in 2016!