Create Your 2025 Wellness Vision: Beyond Resolutions

With the new year around the corner, many of us may be considering setting resolutions to improve our lifestyle. But I have a different suggestion for you: how about setting a wellness vision instead?

Unlike resolutions, a wellness vision, sometimes called life vision, is an umbrella goal, a big picture of who we would like to become. In the framework of health and nutrition coaching, this typically means the healthiest, happiest version of ourselves. Ask yourself: How does the healthiest [insert your name here] look like? That’s your wellness vision.

How to set up your wellness vision

For some people, answering this question may not be evident. Here are a few clues that can help identify your wellness vision:

• When were some occasions in your life when you felt in a flow state, totally immersed in the task at hand and enjoying it?
• When was the last time you felt your best? What was the context?
• What are the top few things that you love to do or have loved to do in the past?

A few examples of wellness visions are:

• I have a stable, healthy weight, and consistent lifestyle habits to support it.
• I am aging gracefully, keeping my self-sufficiency and with healthy health markers.
• I use my time efficiently, plan my daily tasks and stick to the schedule.
• I am focused and attentive, and I don’t take more reponsabilities than I can handle.

Notice that all these examples are formulated in present tense, not future. This is a little trick that helps us get into the right mindset and feel the wellness vision as a current certainty and not something future that we hope to achieve.

A wellness vision is really an intention, a “samkalpa” for those familiar with this yogi term, a guide or a beacon that we set for ourselves. It can also be seen as a seed, that we will tend with our actions to make it grow and flourish.

SMART Goals

And speaking of actions: how do we actually achieve that wellness vision? How can we break down that umbrella goal into actionable items?

We do this through goals, in the form of SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Action-Oriented, Relevant, Time-Bound). For example, for the wellness vision “I have a stable, healthy weight, and consistent lifestyle habits to support it”, we could set these three SMART goals:

1. I will eat 3 healthy meals and 1 snack 4 times per week for the next 2 weeks.
2. I will go for a brisk 30 minute walk 5 times per week for the next 2 weeks.
3. I will do a 10 minute meditation at least 4 times a week for the next two weeks.

How these goals support the vision:

1. Goal 1 helps build healthy eating habits, which should help to achieve a stable and healthy weight.
2. Goal 2 helps build exercise habits, which also should help to achieve the desired stable, healthy weight.
3. Goal 3 helps reduce emotional eating and builds a healthy habit that can help handle stress and anxiety, again supporting the desired healthy weight.

These example goals are relatively short term ones, but they don’t have to. Many times, it’s best to set up both long and short term goals: the short term goals will encourage you through little victories, and the long term goals will serve as stepping stones towards the wellness vision.

Excited and overwhelmed by all this? As the African Proverb says:

“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”

A health and wellness coach can help

We, health, wellness and holistic nutrition coaches, are trained to help you achieve the healthiest version of yourself, whatever that is, in all the seven dimensions of wellness. You are in the driver seat; we are your copilot and your accountability buddy to help you reach your chosen destination. We go together and go far!

Not sure if Health and Wellness coaching is for you? Most coaches offer a free introductory phone consultation or a low-fee intake session, so you can try before committing. Or you can also use these trial sessions to talk to several coaches until you find one that is the best fit for you.

In conclusion

This year, instead of resolutions, you might want to consider setting a wellness vision first to guide you through the next 12 months. And then, break it down into specific SMART goals or resolutions to make that vision come true. If you think you could benefit from some help, a Health and Wellness o Holistic Nutrition coach can help you through the process.

Ready to set up your 2025 Wellness Vision?

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