Challenge Tips

Day 10 — Look Ahead — What’s Your Next Vision?   You don’t have to limit yourself to one vision board. And you don’t have to wait until the start of a new year to create another one. You can have  multiple boards  throughout the year, or create one for each season to inspire growth in several areas of your life.     Consider boards ...

Day 9 — Revisit and Refresh   Your goals and action items will evolve over time. Your vision board should evolve  as well. Consider scheduling a monthly or quarterly “check-in” to assess your progress. Update your board with new images and affirmations that reignite your commitment.    Your Action for Tonight   Spend 5 minutes reviewing your board. ...

Day 8 — Put Your Board to Use   Let your vision board serve as your daily reminder to  act  on your goals, not just think about them. It is a  roadmap to your success , with images that represent actionable steps. Depending on your wellness goal, you can choose one or more images each day and take corresponding actions.     Your Action for Tonight   Set a ...

Day 7 — Share for Accountability    When you  share your goals  with others, you create a community of supporters who encourage you. This, in turn, helps you feel accountable to them — and yourself — and motivates you to continue working.     There are multiple ways to share your vision board and goals with others, including:  Ask a family member to check ...

Day 6 — Anchor Your Vision in Your Space  To reap long-term motivational benefits of a vision board, you’ll need to  put it in a place  where you’ll see it  daily  to keep your wellness goals top of mind. You should also consider the nature of your goal — for instance, whether it’s work-related, home-related, fitness-focused, ...

Day 5 — Assemble and Admire   Today, it’s time to put all the pieces together. There is no right or wrong way to organize and design your vision board. However, if you feel unsure of where to start, here are some fun  arrangement ideas :    Chronological order:  Some wellness goals, like preparing to run a 10k race, may require you to complete actions in ...

Day 4 — Collect Images That Inspire and Empower You   Here’s the fun part! Today, you will transform your “why” from  Day 1  and actions from  Day 2  into images that  move and inspire you .     You can choose any type of image for your vision board — photos, drawings, graphics, and paintings are all fair game. Here are some ideas:  Healthy ...

Day 3 — Choose Your Medium Vision boards can be  physical or digital representations  of your goals. Today, you’ll decide which medium you prefer before you look for images.     You can make a physical vision board from:  A 3-ring binder An artist’s canvas Cardboard or corkboard Magnetic board Paper Photo album  You can create a digital board ...

Day 2 — Identify Your Steps to Success    Now that you have a desired healthy outcome for 2026, use the  SMART criteria  to create the actions you’ll take to achieve it. Think of these as actions as “mini goals” or steps on your path to success.    The SMART framework helps you focus on actions that are:  Specific:   For instance, if your goal is ...

Day 1 — Clarify Your “Why”   Studies  show that goal setting can help people start and maintain healthy behaviors. But it’s not enough to say, “I will be healthier this year.” You’ll need to  identify the reason  why you will make healthier choices — know what’s driving your desired outcome. Attaching a goal to something you value helps keep you ...

Day 10 — Reflect and Regroup Self-reflection after a conflict can help you learn from the experience. Noting your own role in the situation — including what went well and what needs improvement — can enhance communications skills and emotional intelligence. Ultimately, it can make you a better nurse and teammate. Your Action for Today Reflect and ...

Day 9 — Use Feedback as a Tool, Not a Threat Giving and receiving feedback at work is crucial to your growth, development, productivity, and skills. During a conflict, receiving feedback can feel like a threat, especially if there are emotions behind it. And when you’re upset, the feedback you give may feel negative to the other person. Using feedback as ...

Day 8 — Repair and Reconnect You may still have work to do after you resolve a conflict with a coworker. Nursing is a highly collaborative profession, requiring trust and mutual respect. If a conflict impairs your relationship with a teammate, you can take steps to restore goodwill and eliminate lingering tension. Your Action for Today Repair a work ...

Day 7 — Practice Structured Mediation Conflict in a health care environment can challenge you mentally, emotionally, and ethically — especially if the conflict centers around patient care or safety. You may not be able to resolve every dispute on your own, and that’s OK. That’s where mediation can help. A mediator is an impartial 3rd party whose role is ...

Day 6 — Seek Shared Solutions A hostile or tense work environment increases stress and burnout for everyone. By focusing on a “win-win” resolution to workplace conflict, you can foster respect, trust, and a positive culture. Research shows that collaborative solutions lead to effective conflict management. Working together ...

Day 5 — Identify the Root Cause Sometimes, a conflict stems from something deeper than a simple disagreement. Underlying problems within a team or system can cause ongoing tension and impact the working environment. Deeper causes of workplace conflict in nursing may include: Ambiguous organizational structure, hierarchy, or roles ...

Day 4 — Listen to Understand In moments of conflict, many people listen with their reply ready, rather than trying to truly hear the other person. In fact, most people only remember 20% to 50% of what they hear! This can make tension worse and leave both sides feeling misunderstood. Active listening, where you seek to ...

Day 3 — Clarify, Don’t Confront When conflicts happen, it’s easy to jump straight into confrontation. You may feel tempted to argue and defend yourself, point out mistakes, or push back. But this may result in escalation rather than resolution. Using constructive communication to seek clarity without arguing can de-escalate a conflict. By asking ...

Day 2 — Assume Positive Intent During a conflict, it’s easy to assume another person’s feelings or motivations are negative. This is especially true if you’re examining the conflict through a scarcity lens (see Day 1). However, assuming the worst can lead to misunderstandings, a breakdown of trust, and negatively impact our relationships. On the ...

Recognize Conflict as an Opportunity The first step to learning conflict resolution is in how you perceive conflict. If the idea of conflict makes you want to head for the nearest exit, change your perspective! The idea that conflict is “bad” may stem from looking at it through a scarcity lens — meaning we see a lack of “good” in the world. This mentality ...

Connect With Others It’s time to find your fitness community! While it’s fine to exercise alone, incorporating some group workouts into your regimen can keep you motivated and spur you to work harder. Exercising with other people also keeps you accountable and less likely to skip a workout. Your Action for Tonight Reach out to a friend, family member, ...

Reward Your Efforts As we mentioned on Day 4 , rewarding yourself isn’t just nice — it’s an important part of creating healthy habits! After all of your hard work, it’s time to celebrate the effort. Rewarding yourself causes your brain to release dopamine, which makes you feel good — and motivates you to continue. Focus on healthy rewards that bring you ...

Visualize Your Win Your mind is a powerful ally in your quest to stay fit. Visualization , also called mental imagery, can help you improve your physical performance, boost motivation, and increase your sense of satisfaction. These are all very helpful when you need a little spark during the colder, darker months of the year! A study of athletes found ...

Change It Up Drizzly, gray skies and shorter days can lead to feelings of fatigue, boredom, or lack of motivation called “ winter blues .” Your usual routine may not excite or inspire you the way it once did. If that happens, shake things up and see what happens! You’ve heard the saying, “Variety is the spice of life.” As it turns out, there is a biological ...

Dress the Part When the temperature drops, the right gear can make a big difference in both how you feel and how long you can comfortably exercise outside. Three factors to keep in mind when choosing your outdoor exercise wear are: Moisture levels Temperature Wind chill Layering your clothes is the key to comfort and safety. Start with a ...

Track Your Progress There’s a reason why fitness watches and apps are all the rage these days: Tracking your progress is one of the simplest but most powerful tools for building consistency. According to research, consistently monitoring your progress toward a goal increases your chance for long-term success. And, this is true for any goal, ...

Use a Habit Loop A habit loop is a simple and effective strategy to help you reach your fitness goals. It has 3 parts: a cue, a routine, and a reward. According to research, a habit loop boosts positive reinforcement to influence your brain to create a new pattern or routine. In a habit loop, the cue triggers the action you want to take. For instance: Putting ...

Change Your Mindset If the idea of colder weather has you running for the covers instead of running outside, change your mindset! According to psychologists , there are two basic types of mindsets: fixed and growth. A fixed mindset might include the belief that cold weather is unpleasant and therefore unsuitable for exercise. A growth mindset might ...

Design Your Routine for Cold Days Exercising outside when it’s cold has several health benefits . Your body burns more calories and converts more fat into energy. You also benefit from sunlight, which helps your body produce vitamin D and improves your mood. On some days, the weather may make it a challenge to get outside, so flexibility is also ...

When your motivation to exercise takes a dip, it helps to go back to the beginning and remember why you began your fitness journey in the first place. Aligning your values and what’s important to you with your workouts can help you push through this resistance. For example, if you value having more energy throughout the day, let that be your “why” for ...

Reflect and Plan Ahead for Continued Success Reflection helps build lasting behavior change. Looking back on and celebrating a goal you achieved can motivate you to continue to improve. You just spent the past 9 days thinking about and taking action to prevent food waste. You deserve a pat on the back for your commitment to sustainability! Your Action ...

Take a Food Inventory Knowing what’s in your fridge, freezer, and pantry helps you avoid overbuying at the grocery store. It saves you time, money, and the need to toss spoiled or expired food. There’s only one way to know for sure what food items you have on hand at any given time: Keep a current inventory. Your Action for Tonight Start by logging the food ...

Store Smarter, Not Harder High-quality containers — especially those made from glass, stainless steel, or BPA-free silicone — preserve food’s freshness better than flimsy, single-use plastics. And, unlike plastic storage containers, they don’t cause harm to the planet or wildlife. Reusable containers help you stay organized. Using ...

Creatively Repurpose Leftovers Repurposing leftovers is a practical and impactful way to reduce food waste at home. Instead of letting uneaten food sit in the fridge until it spoils, give it a second life! Regularly using leftovers can also improve your meal planning habits. It encourages you to cook with intention, reduce over-portioning, and ...

Know When to Freeze It It’s time to put your freezer to work for you. Freezing food extends the life of your leftovers and raw ingredients, saving you time and money — and reducing waste. Take note: There’s a trick to freezing your food. According to the New York Times , protecting your food from air and moisture, which cause freezer burn, is key. Airtight ...

Leverage Technology to Monitor Food Freshness Let tech do the work to prevent food from spoiling. There are many apps and tools that help you stay on top of your food inventory and reduce waste. Inventory apps allow you to track what you have in your fridge, freezer, and pantry. You can log expiration dates, set reminders, and even get recipes based on ...

Rotate Your Food to Maximize Freshness First In, First Out (FIFO) is a common method the food industry uses to manage and rotate stock . You can use this simple method in your own kitchen to ensure you consume the oldest food items first, before they spoil. Consistently applying FIFO helps you become more aware of what you already have on hand. For example, ...

Organize Your Produce for Longevity It’s a story most of us know too well: We buy produce with the best intentions, only to see it wilt, spoil, and go to waste a few days later. Many fruits and vegetables have specific storage needs that, when met, can significantly extend their shelf life. A common mistake is putting everything in the fridge, but ...

Set the Right Fridge and Freezer Temps The first step in preventing spoiled food waste is to store it at the right temperature. Proper food storage preserves freshness and guards against microorganisms like Salmonella and E. coli. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture , bacteria grow quickly at temperatures between 40 and 140 degrees ...

Understand Your Food Waste Impact Did you know that 33% of all food produced around the world is lost or wasted each year? Consider the number of times you’ve purchased a head of lettuce or bag of spinach, only to dispose of it a week later. According to Stop Waste Food Day , this lost food costs a family in the U.S. nearly $1,900 each year, on average. Even ...

Connect With Nature Spending time in nature is one of the best ways to remember how important it is to take care of our planet. Taking a few moments out of our day to watch a sunset, listen to birdsong, or breathe in fresh air reminds us of the incredible world we inhabit. It also shows us what we stand to lose by failing to stop climate change. And that is ...

Your Voice Carries Weight Education is critical for climate action. As you learned on Day 4, your voice as a trusted nurse carries weight with patients, coworkers, communities, and policymakers. By educating others about how climate change impacts health, you can raise awareness and spur others to act. Your Action for Today: Mention one ...

Eco-Mindful Self-Care Sustainable self-care is taking care of yourself in ways that also take care of the planet. When you practice self-care in this way, you choose ways to recharge that create less waste, use fewer resources, and cause no harm to the environment. When done with mindful intention, a sustainable self-care practice can nourish your ...

Set a Personal Sustainability Intention Sustainability efforts can seem small in the face of global challenges, but change starts with you. Without a clear goal, it's easy to feel overwhelmed or stuck. Defining your intention helps you turn your concern for the environment into achievable actions. It also fosters consistency ...

Assess Your Work Environment A recent study found that most nurses feel reducing waste and conserving resources are important within the health care industry. However, they also reported that these efforts end up on the back burner because of the pressing demands of patient care. Time constraints and lack of support can be barriers as well. The good ...

Try a Plant-Forward Day When it comes to your health, plants pack a powerful punch. Thanks to their vitamins, minerals, fiber content, antioxidants, and healthy fats, plant-based foods lower your risk of: Cancer Diabetes Heart disease Inflammation Obesity Stroke In addition, plant-based foods benefit our environment by reducing the ...

Use Your Voice to Advocate Nurses are among the most trusted voices of any profession. According to a recent Gallup poll, nearly 80% of Americans feel nurses’ honesty and ethical standards are “high” or “very high.” That’s an empowering statistic! This level of trust gives you a unique opportunity to raise awareness, shape public opinion, and inspire ...

Walk, Bike, or Carpool Your method of transportation has a big impact on climate change. In the U.S., transportation accounts for approximately 28% of greenhouse gas emissions , thanks to the burning of gasoline and diesel. Cutting emissions protects public health. It leads to cleaner air, fewer respiratory illnesses, and fewer climate-related ...

Reduce Single-Use Waste Disposable goods significantly contribute to climate change throughout their entire life cycle. Pollution from plastics is at critical levels, yet global plastic output continues to grow . Approximately 150 million tons of single-use plastic are produced every year. The extraction of fossil fuels needed to produce ...

Reflect on Climate Health Climate change impacts our mental and physical health. It is the biggest threat to humanity , costing the lives of millions of people around the globe each year. Realizing this, the American Nurses Association (ANA) states: Nurses must be informed about the deep interconnection of human health and the health of the ...