New Year’s Resolutions: An Ongoing Commitment
by Wren Nealy, IPMBA President
One of the most time-honored traditions is making New Year’s resolutions at the dawn of a new year. Webster’s defines the making of a New Year’s Resolution as a “tradition in which a person resolves to change an undesired trait or behavior, accomplish a personal goal, or otherwise improve their life.” So how does this apply to IPMBA?
The IPMBA New Year’s Resolution can be described as a “tradition in which a member resolves to change an undesired trait or behavior, accomplish a personal goal or otherwise improve IPMBA.” The top five resolutions that can improve IPMBA (and you) year-round are:
Maintain your Membership. Even if your department does not cover this expense, invest in your professional growth and development and join or renew your membership.
Become an Active Member. So, you’ve done #1 above, now what? Think of your membership as being more than a requirement for your job. Don’t sit idly by, passively reading the IPMBA News! Instead, become a contributing member. As an IPMBA member, you are part of a family of 3,000 like-minded individuals throughout the United States and beyond. The easiest things to do are to follow IPMBA on social media and like, comment, and share posts. Up the ante by writing an article for the IPMBA News, write a product review (contact Maureen at info@ipmba.org for guidelines), or join and actively participate in an IPMBA Committee or Task Force. As with any relationship, what you get out of it reflects what you put into it.
Attend the Annual Conference. IPMBA was founded with an annual conference at its core. This is a time and place where like-minded folks can come together, learn, train, instruct, and network. Since the beginning, this has been a “bring all of your stuff” conference, because you are going to put it to use. One of the factors that has made the conference such a success is the fact that you do not spend it sitting in a conference hall or classroom.
It was – and continues to be – a hands-on event. You actually practice what you are being taught. It is also the “Main Event” of the year. A majority of the board’s time is spent preparing for and conducting this live event for the benefit of the attendees. Certain IPMBA certification courses are only offered at the annual conference. These certification courses add value to your resume and what you bring back to your department. Call it a “deliverable” for your leadership.
There are also amazing networking opportunities. The nature of our jobs often puts us in a silo. Too often we become complacent, which translates into our job performance. There is a value in learning how things are done in other areas and how other departments have dealt with the same problems you are facing. The ability to share training guidelines, policies, funding streams, and validate your tactics and program is invaluable to the sustainability of your bike team/unit. The bottom line, it is a big deal and if you miss it, you are missing out!
Practice the Fundamental Public Safety Cycling Skills. Too often we become busy and take the basic skills for granted. Time is valuable, so why spend it on something you’ve already accomplished, right? It is this mindset that sets most up for failure. As a Public Safety Cyclist, it is easy to get caught up in doing the job. Before you know it, you’ve worked several shifts or events without utilizing many of the skills you had to master to achieve the certification. So you grow complacent. Fast forward ahead in your career, and now you want to become an IPMBA Instructor. The inability to demonstrate a mastery of the basic skills and knowledge is the downfall of nearly everyone who goes home on day two of the Instructor Course. Make it a point to practice your basic skills during every shift or event you work. Negotiate urban obstacles in the park, tackle the built environment in an urban area, or ride the box in your standard parking space. Never pass up an opportunity to develop your skills and technique as a cyclist.
Challenge Yourself. Have you taken any advanced level public safety cyclist training? Have you ventured out beyond your basic cyclist certification? Unfortunately, few departments place a high value on advanced certification courses as requirements for advancing within the team/unit. Did you stop at the basic Police, EMS, or Security Cyclist level, or have you driven yourself to advanced training? Do you buy into the misguided notion that once you are an instructor, there is nothing more you can learn? I hope not. The Duke of Wellington claimed, “No man fears to do that which he knows he does well.” Challenge yourself to learn more, to do more, and to do it well, for the day may come when your life, or the life of another, depends on it!
Studies show that 60% of us make New Year’s Resolutions, but only 8% of us achieve them. The majority fail before January 31st. If you are still reading this, you are already ahead of the game.
To be successful, you should use a technique used in writing learning objectives as part of a lesson plan. Use the process of being SMART: specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound.
Specific. Your resolution should be absolutely clear. Setting concrete goals is more important than just vaguely saying, “I want to ride 300 miles in the Police Unity Tour or EMS Memorial Ride.” You need to have solid goals. How far do you want to ride, and at what time interval? Setting a goal of twenty miles twice a week in the next two months followed by 30 miles three times a week one month out will be more effective.
Measurable. This may seem obvious if your goal is related to fitness or weight loss. Being able to track your progress over time shows your success. A lot of little accomplishments will lead to the larger main goal. Logging progress into a journal, making notes on your phone or engaging an app designed to help you track behaviors can reinforce the progress, no matter what your resolution may be.
Achievable. This doesn’t mean that you can’t have “big stretch” goals. But trying to take too big of a step too fast can leave you frustrated, or affect other areas of your life to the point that your resolution takes over your life, causing you, your friends, and/or your family to flail.
Relevant. Is this a goal that really matters to you, and are you setting it for the right reasons? “If you do it out of a sense of self-hate or remorse or a strong passion in the moment, it doesn’t usually last long,” said Dr. Michael Bennett, a psychiatrist and co-author of two self-help books. “But if you build up a process where you’re thinking harder about what’s good for you, you’re changing the structure of your life, and you’re bringing people into your life who will reinforce that resolution, I think you have a fighting chance.”
Time-Bound. Like setting achievable goals, the timeline toward reaching your goal should be realistic. That means allowing yourself enough time to do it with lots of smaller, intermediate goals set up along the way. Start with your membership renewal. Mark it on your calendar and relish the fact that it will make your conference fees less expensive and because you are part of a larger community. Every shift, check yourself on two basic cycling skills and progress to a re-read of the Complete Guide. Annually make it a point to re-take the basic written test as part of your training regimen. These are all small battle victories towards the goal of winning the war.
January 2019 is behind us, but it is never too late to start. If you can accomplish these five resolutions, you will likely achieve some of the more common resolutions we often fail to accomplish. You can count on your 3,000 fellow IPMBA members to help you achieve these resolutions.
(c) 2019 IPMBA. This column appeared in the 2019 Product Guide issue of IPMBA News.