Spilyay Speaks: Do or do not…there is no try

The new year is upon us and many of us have made new years resolutions. This is typically the time of year when gym attendance is highest, we feel super motivated to make a change and we’ve announced our resolutions to the world via social media. 2015 feels so good!

But as time passes, our motivation often fades and eventually we are back to our old habits. Yoda, with his infinite wisdom, once said, “do or do not…there is no try.” This is great advice for all of us working on our new years resolutions. What are we doing daily to reach those goals? How are we staying motivated after the excitement of entering 2015 wanes?

One of the best ways to stay motivated is to write our resolutions or goals down and the steps it’ll take to get there. Want to walk in the boots of wild horse racing world champion Jason Smith? What would that take?

Aside from writing down your goal and the steps necessary to get there, it’s also beneficial to understand why you want to accomplish this particular goal. I believe that our community needs to heal, therefore, I want to help my community by working in the field of mental health like Dr. Shilo Tippett.

Now that we’ve written down our goals, the steps towards reaching them and why we want to do this, it’s good to start chipping away at the list of tasks. I want to start a business – identify the business, get training, write a business plan, leverage capital, get tax id number and so on.

Reaching for the stars can be overwhelming! By breaking our goals into tasks, you can make daily progress one step at a time (and celebrate your progress along the way). Checking boxes never felt so good!

Finally, it’s good to keep your goals visible and to share them with those who support you. Post your goal in places you will see daily like the bathroom mirror or on your desk. Visually seeing your goals is a great reminder of what you’re working towards. Sharing your goals with others is a good way to be accountable to what you are trying to accomplish.

What resolutions have you made for 2015? Are these short or long term goals? My resolutions this year are to write more postcards and articles, to continue with my physical therapy so I can walk, and spend more time with my inner circle of friends.

Congratulations on setting goals for yourself for the new year, it’s always good medicine to grow and evolve.

Spilyay Speaks is a bi-weekly column written by Alyssa Macy, a Warm Springs tribal member and communications strategist. She can be reached atalyssa.macy@wstribes.org or on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.