Realistic Resolutions

HAPPY NEW YEAR! I was caught up in my last post, ranting about the weather, and forgot to mention 2014 coming to a close and 2015 kicking off a few days ago. New Years Eve is a super fun holiday, filled with fireworks, champagne (or sparkling cider), and fun hats. However, one thing that comes with the holiday isn't very fun, or easy, to do. New years resolutions.

Everybody makes them and eventually breaks them. For those of you who manage to reach that goal you made at the beginning of the year, congratulations. You all must be very motivated. For those who can't manage to stick to your resolution(s), I'm here to help. Buckle your seat belts, kids.

I've learned this method/guideline to goal setting mostly through my sports teams and camps, and I'm sure a lot of you know this method as well. It's called S.M.A.R.T. The goals that you set should be:

Specific

To set a specific goal, use the four Ws; who, what, when, where, and how. The five W's. A specific goal is easier to achieve than general goals. For ex: "I want to be nicer" is very general and is hard to achieve. "I want to make three people smile everyday" is a lot more specific, and easier to achieve.

Measurable

Being able to measure your progress and achievement of your goals is key, and can give you boosts of encouragement and confidence when you are able to see your progress. Ask yourself things like "how much?" "how many?" and "when will I know I have achieved my goal?" to see if your goal is measurable.

Attainable

Goals aren't always attainable from the start. In fact, most goals shouldn't be attainable when you first make them. That's what goals are for. They take you through the process of growing, learning, and developing skills and attitudes that you need to make your goal possible. So don't ask yourself if your goals are attainable today, ask yourself if they will be attainable by the time you want to reach them.

Realistic

Making goals realistic doesn't always mean making them possible. A realistic goal should be something that you are willing and able to work for. High set goals are often easier to reach then low ones, because low set goals require less motivation and effort.

Timely

Goals should be set in a certain time frame. "I want to lose 50 lbs" isn't pushing you to get it done before a time or date. "I want to lose 50 lbs by May 1st" will make you get it done before then.
(T can also stand for Tangible. This means that the goal can be obtained in one of the five senses: touch, taste, smell, sight, and sound.)

Although I am slightly hypocritical, seeing as I have already broken one of my new years resolutions, most of the time making S.M.A.R.T goals will help you achieve them. Although resolutions are slightly different then goals, they both fit into the same category, and can be made using the method I described above.

If you need more help with New Year's resolutions and much more, click here.

Photo courtesy of this wallpaper site

Tough Temperatures

Anyone who lives in Park City, or has visited for at least three weeks, knows how often and fast the weather can change here. One minute you're freezing your butt off in the snow and the next, sunshine cooks every part of your body. I've had my share of these insane weather conditions during the fourteen years that I've been living in Park City, but I don't think it's had enough of me.

For the past week, the PCST U-16s have been training on lower payday run. According to AccuWeather, Tuesday's high temperature was 12º with a low of -9º. With wind chill, the temperatures could have reached -15º. I was hurling myself down a snow covered hill at 9 am, in NEGATIVE FIFTEEN DEGREE WEATHER. It's a miracle that my face didn't freeze off, let alone my toes, which I couldn't feel after the first run. Thankfully Tina, one of my coaches, had a vaseline stick that we passed around and lathered on our faces. But it wasn't over yet.

The next day, it proved to be a little warmer. When I say little, I mean miniscule. The high temperature was 14º and the low temperature was -5º, leading to a wind chill temperature of -15º. After Tuesdays brutal conditions, I came prepared. Three packets of hand warmers, four extra coats, and 3 buffs. Although they did help, the cold air seemed to find ways through all the layers, keeping the constant chill I had those couple of days.

One of the frigid mornings under the Town Lift

Now for the other side of the spectrum. My team and I went to the Utah Olympic Park this afternoon, after free skiing at PCMR. The training there is always productive, with a short hill and a pommel lift to the top. The high temperature at the hill was near 25 or 30 degrees, which felt like summer for us. This led to training the course with full strips (nothing but speed suits on) and even t-shirts. The coaches at the bottom were pleading to be sprayed with snow. How did this happen? Less than 24 hours ago we were dreaming of warm weather.

This is just one of the many examples of Park City's crazy, spontaneous weather. I wonder what mother nature has in store for this town next...