Posted on January 3, 2017 by Billie Jean King

Billie Jean King is a winner of 39 Grand Slam tennis titles, a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and a champion for social change and equality. She serves as Atria’s Well-Being Coach.

There’s something about the arrival of a new year that motivates us to become better versions of ourselves. The excitement of starting with a clean slate inspires us to make positive changes in our lifestyle like becoming more fit and committing to spend more time with the people we love.

The good news is, as we get older, making these changes can lead to improvements in our health and well-being. Research shows that aging well depends mostly on the lifestyle choices we make every day. Sometimes making lifestyle changes and pursuing big goals can seem daunting. The ultimate challenge is staying motivated to make good choices once the newness of the new year wears off.

One way to tackle this is to create daily or weekly milestones that will inspire us while working toward our main goal. When I played tennis, I focused on one ball at a time. This allowed me to stay in the present and do the best I could at that given moment.

Another key is to surround ourselves with people who want to see us succeed. That’s why I want to tell you about a special upcoming event.

On Tuesday, January 10, more than 21,000 Atria residents across the U.S. and Canada will gather in their communities to set goals and pledge to support one another in achieving them. Let’s join them in spirit and gather with our friends to chart our courses for the year ahead.

Let’s aim high, take time to enjoy our successes along the way and lean on others when we need a pep talk. Before we know it, we’ll have accomplished what we set out to achieve and be ready to move on to conquering our next challenge.

Category: Active Aging
Tags: advice, Billie Jean King, goals, New Year, well-being