Ah, the turning of a new year. It’s a time when we stop to remember the last 365 days (well, 363 at this point, but who’s counting) of challenges and opportunities, setbacks and victories, tears and laughter, and look ahead to all that 2015 will have to offer. For many of you, the Susan G. Komen 3-Day® is on your 2015 radar, and while any day is a great day to start moving forward toward the goal of participating in the Komen 3-Day, January 1 is as perfect a time as any to make some resolutions that will bring you closer to that objective.

1. Register – Seems simple, right? And yet, loads of people think about doing the 3-Day®, talk about doing the 3-Day, even call the coaches to ask questions about registering, but sadly, many of those well-meaning folks never end up registering. Taking that first step can be the scariest part of all. But making the big move to actually sign up for the 3-Day is making a commitment to improve the lives of countless strangers, while also enriching your own life through an indescribably amazing experience. What better way to start off the journey into the new year than to set your sights on that extraordinary destination? Register by April 6, 2015 and you’ll save $20.
2. Tell Your Friends – Once you’re registered for the 3-Day, the next resolution you can make is as easy as can be: tell people what you’re doing! You (hopefully) will be very eager to share news of your 2015 3-Day registration with friends and family anyway, but aside from sharing your excitement, telling people will help hold you accountable, and keep you from falling into the “I registered…now what?” rut. Which reminds me: in the midst of telling your loved ones that you’re doing the 3-Day, give the 3-Day coaches a call and tell them too! They love hearing from you, even if it’s just to say hi and tell them, “I’m in!” You can reach the coaches at 800-996-3DAY.
3. Drink more water – This is a resolution that I renew every year. If you think of it in terms of just drinking more water, the “more” feels kind of non-specific and, perhaps, makes it less likely that you’ll stick with it because of that vagueness. So I like to make it a little less ambiguous: I resolve to drink one glass of water for every non-water drink I ingest. Need that cup of coffee in the morning? Down a glass of water first. Can’t resist that peach iced tea at lunch? Order a water with it and refuse a refill on the tea until the water is gone too. Like to enjoy some other tasty beverages after 5 o’clock rolls around? Commit to consuming a water course in between rounds. All that extra H20 in your system will lead to you feeling healthier and more energized overall, but will also prepare you and get you into the habit of staying hydrated when your 3-Day event rolls around later in the year.
4. Take the stairs whenever possible – Like with the water drinking resolution, the pledge to “walk more” may feel imprecise and uninspiring. So crank up the motivation factor by making the plan specific and attainable: if there’s an option to take the stairs instead of an elevator/escalator, do it. That’s just one clear-cut way to incorporate more activity into your daily routine; you can be creative in thinking of other ways too, such as always parking in the farthest parking spot you can find, investing in a pedometer or fitness tracker and setting a daily step goal (for most people 10,000 steps equals about 5 miles, a bold yet achievable daily target), or, if you like to layer your challenges onto one another, resolve to always be moving while drinking your water courses. The point is, the more movement you can put into everyday practice now, the more fit and prepared you will be when you really start diving into your 3-Day training later in the year, and more confident about ultimately attacking the big 60 miles.
5. Ask for a donation once a week – Raising $2300 for the 3-Day is a huge undertaking, and I don’t know a single person who wouldn’t benefit–mentally and emotionally–from breaking that amount down into smaller pieces. There is no donation that is too small to make a difference, except for the donations you don’t ask for. So make a commitment, at least once a week, to ask someone for a donation. I’m talking about a direct request to a specific individual (as opposed to a weekly mass posting on Facebook, though there is a lot of potential benefit to doing that too). Whether or not you ask for a specific amount is up to you, though I recommend that you do. But ask. At least once a week. More often if you can. If you need inspiration with how to ask, check out our Fundraising Challenge posts on Facebook, the Creative Fundraising board on Pinterest, or search “fundraising” here on the 3-Day blog.

What other New Year’s resolutions are you making to help you prepare for the 3-Day?