What’s your password?

Passwords.

We need them for everything: email, paying bills or shopping for the holidays. Anywhere we click, we need a password.

So what’s your password? I don’t really want to know, I just want you to think about the following:

Is your password something easy to remember that you can type with your eyes closed? What if you used a password that actually made you think every time you typed it?

We are about to embark on another season of resolutions, so I offer up this one: make your password(s) a goal, a positive thought or just something that makes you stop and think.

I started doing this in April. I was dealing with a stress fracture and torn labrum in my hip and I couldn’t run because of it. One day I was prompted to change my email password and instead of racking my brain for another combination of the kid’s names and birthdays, I decided to make a positive message: Myhipis100%.

I was far from 100% at the time, but it fulfilled all those upper/lower case, number, and symbol requirements, so I figured “why not?”

For 3 months I typed that password countless times every day and lo and behold, my hip got better. Granted, I was resting it and being smart in my rehab, but I know it didn’t hurt to think “Myhipis100%” over and over and over again.

Every 90 days we have to change our passwords. When my next prompt to change came about, I was starting to take walks pain free. So, I decided my new password would be “ready2Run”. This one really made me think every time I typed it because I usually pressed the shift key too soon and had ready@Run. During those 90 days I started to run.

I was recently prompted to change again and now my current password uses numbers and letters from my next goal: the Rock & Roll Marathon in Phoenix on January 16th. Each time I type my new password I smile because six months ago I was on crutches. Today, I’m training for a marathon.

What do you want to do? Lose weight? Eat healthier? Be a better person?

Don’t wait for the next prompt. A change today could make a difference for life.

All from a simple password.