By: Megan Jones

Happy First Official Day of Fall! The leaves are changing, the weather is getting cooler and soon enough it will start to get darker earlier. Fall is one of my favorite seasons, because despite being in California where the seasons seem to blend, fall can be a little easier to differentiate from the rest. Fall is also the beginning of the holiday season and the gathering of friends and family! However, for me, fall is a wonderful time to evaluate my year, and make goals to finish out strong! It is a great time to make resolutions or ensure that you are keeping up with the goals you set out for yourself at the beginning of the year!

New Year’s Resolutions…they are difficult to keep and maintain. For a lot of us, they may be abandoned by earlier February or March. However, maybe if we look at it with a different mindset, it can be easier! For me, I set goals to accomplish each season. In doing so, I create a timeline that seems more attainable to keep, but by the end of the year I can look back and see all I have accomplished. Additionally, with the change of seasons, you never have to wait for the beginning of the year to make a change. Change is all around us!

If you are looking to try and looking to add a goal or resolution for this season, consider trying reflecting on area you want to change or adjust!

Train your Brain:

Consider adding one of these goals to your seasonal resolution list.

• Read a New Book: This can be one book for the season, a new book every month, or week! Reading is a great hobby and goal and fun to do with friends! For this season, consider starting a book club with friends to spend time together and read a new book!
• Learn a New Language: Now Learning an entire language in a season is very daunting, but consider a service like Duolingo that breaks up learning a new language into sections. Additionally, you can further break it down by setting a goal to learn common terms, phrases, the alphabet or phonics.
• Meditation: Meditation is working on calming the mind. There are many apps such as Calm or videos on YouTube to watch and listen. However, I believe meditation can take many forms, whatever eases the mind and relaxes the body. It could be yoga, cooking, watching sports, or photography. Find something that eases your mind and lean into it this season!

Let’s Get Physical!

Many of us may relate to the “trying to lose weight” trend. However, what if we reframed it. Instead of focusing on numbers on a scale set a goal!

• Set a Fitness Goal: This can be anything you want to try! If you can easily do 25 sit-ups, this season work on getting to 50 or 100! If you can run half a mile, work your way to one mile. These small but very attainable goals are a great start to longevity results.
• Try Something New: Want to try a new sport, make it a goal! Try a new fitness class at the gym or complete one online! Moreover, try a new physical activity such as hiking, yoga, weightlifting, or swimming!

New Hobbies

A resolution can also include trying a new hobby you have always wanted to do!

• Cooking: Looking to improve your current culinary skills or even try new recipes? Consider taking up cooking! With plenty of meal service kits such as HelloFresh you can learn new recipes and not worry about the grocery store hassle!
• Art: trying a new art form whether it is photography, painting, sculpting etc., these are all great ways to access your creative side and fun activity to do with friends or family!

Consider implanting on of these or your own personal goal this season and see how you fare! Regardless, we hope you have a very Happy Fall!