What Are Your Five Golden Rings?

According to the Urban Dictionary, the expression “grab for the gold ring” is “to take a chance and reach for some goal or desire.”

We often neglect things in our lives or put them on the back burner, which decreases our healthy life and quality of life. Think about what you want to reach for in the next year, and consider these five things in your life:

Diet: Not a temporary restrictive plan but refers to your overall eating pattern for life. There are so many components to diet that it is challenging to choose one thing to set as a goal: more fruits and vegetables, balancing calories in with calories out, managing portion sizes, and eating more plant foods (this includes beans, seeds, and whole grains in addition to fruits and vegetables), choosing meat less often? What is one thing you can do to improve your diet?

Exercise: Even someone who exercises regularly can neglect one exercise component. For example, someone who loves cardio activities like running or biking can often ignore stretching or strength training. Or if you don’t exercise regularly, you need to start. It is great stress management.

Sleep: How many of us are sleep deprived? Fitting it all in often leads to less sleep. We are going to bed late and getting up early. You’ve heard it before: driving sleep-deprived is equal to driving intoxicated on the danger scale. We can’t think week when we haven’t slept well or enough. Both physically and mentally, our bodies repair and “defrag” when we sleep.

Time management: If you haven’t heard the expression “work smarter, not harder,” then welcome. Working smarter, getting essential things done, and not putting off those things and watching The Closer or Dancing with the Stars. If you manage your time efficiently, you can catch your favorite show and do your critical work.

Self-care or “me” time: Quiet time reading your book or magazine, or having the time for your one or two favorite TV shows, or going for a massage is essential. To reduce or avoid burnout, think of what YOU want and what you would like to do in a free hour or afternoon, and schedule it in your time. It makes you a more productive person for yourself and the others in your life.

What is your desire for yourself, and how will you do it? What are your five gold rings? Set those goals, set the intentions. And reach for them.