Spring is a time for renewal. After nesting all winter now is the time to move forward with your life. You now have that extra energy and focus to take action and create change. This is everywhere the case, but somehow it is even more so in sunny Crete, where nature is in full glory.
Easter is the spring holiday that celebrates rebirth and all the new possibilities that come with new life.
Spring is a great time to envision possibilities and begin to think about reinvention — sometimes in your relationships, sometimes in your career and work lives, sometimes in your diet and sometimes in your looks.
Allow me to share with you this great Harvard Medical’s School Special Health Report : Simple Changes, Big Rewards: A Practical, Easy Guide for Healthy, Happy Living.
In this inspiring report Dr Edward Phillips talks you through how to incorporate simple changes into your life that can reap big rewards. Key to the life changing process described in the report, is choosing the right goal that passes the SMART test.
“If you tackle the goal you’re most likely to accomplish—rather than the goal you think you should make—you’re better able to achieve it and build up a head of steam to tackle tougher goals.
Not sure if your goal passes the SMART test? Here are a few more details on setting a SMART goal from Simple Changes, Big Rewards:
S — Set a very specific goal. For example, “I will add one fruit serving—that’s half a cup, chopped—to my current daily diet.”
M — Find a way to measure progress. In the case above, “I will log my efforts each day on my calendar.”
A — Make sure it’s achievable. Be sure you’re physically capable of safely accomplishing your goal. If not, aim for a smaller goal.
R — Make sure it’s realistic. Again, choosing the change you most need to make—let’s say, quitting smoking or losing weight—isn’t as successful as choosing the change you’re most confident you’ll be able to make. Focus on a goal that is both important to you and is comfortably within your grasp. If you picture a 10-point scale of confidence in achieving your goal, where 1 equals no confidence and 10 equals 100% certainty, you should land in the 7-to-10 zone. An additional fruit serving a day is a small, manageable step toward better health.
T — Set time commitments. Pick a date and time to start—”Wednesday at breakfast, I’ll add frozen blueberries to cereal”—and regular check-in dates—”I’ll check my log every week and decide if I should make any changes in my routines to succeed.” When setting commitments, outside deadlines can be really helpful. Signing up for a charity run or a sprint triathlon on a certain date prods you to get a training program under way.”
Is renewing your Smile a SMART Goal for you?
If yes, send me a short email, enclosing a couple of pictures of your smile and I will help you answer the Achievable, Realistic and Time part of the goal.
I am confident that the self-betterment tips included in this will provide the basis for improved life satisfaction.
Dr Giorgos Antonopoulos DDs
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