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Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Guidelines for Effective Resolutions


Let’s face it, practically all of us set New Year’s resolutions every year, and practically every year they don’t come true. Sure, we work hard on them for a week or two, and sometimes even a month! Slowly but surely, though, we forget all about them and our life returns to the way it was before. This doesn’t mean we should eliminate resolutions all together, because they can certainly be powerful tools in creating change in our lives. However, I’d like to suggest a different way we could go about setting resolutions this year, which will make them more effective and more likely to come true!

Here are some suggestions you might try implementing in 2010:

1) Set an intention: Instead of calling them New Year’s resolutions, try calling them New Year’s intentions. Sure, it sounds like the same thing, but there’s a slight difference. So many of us have set resolutions in years past and have been unsuccessful. Therefore, just hearing the word “resolution” has a negative connotation to it. In fact, those people who don’t set New Year’s resolutions say they don’t do it because they know they’re sure to fail! A resolution means you resolve to do something, and therefore if you aren’t successful you automatically assume you’re a failure. By calling it a New Year’s intention instead, you are signaling to yourself and the Universe that you are intending to create a change in your life and will do everything you can to make that change come true. However, because it’s an intention and not a resolution, you don’t have any excuse to beat yourself up if you're not successful. You still may not follow through as much as you would like, but at least you won't be so harsh on yourself!

2) Learn to love yourself: Instead of intending to do the same things you’ve probably tried in years past (like losing weight, quitting smoking, etc.), why not make this the year you finally learn to love and accept yourself, AS IS, once and for all?! So many people want to create change in their lives because they think that will finally make them happy. Without true self-love, however, you will never achieve the level of happiness and security that you think weight loss, making more money, finding your life partner, etc. will bring you. Start by learning to love yourself once and for all, and not only will you feel better as a whole, but all those other things you are hoping to achieve will manifest much easier in your life! See my last blog post for an exercise that will help you do just this.

3) Celebrate your successes: Be sure to acknowledge and reward yourself for all the great effort you put forth in 2009 and everything you accomplished, whether you set out to or not. Most people are so focused on what they want to change in 2010 that they completely forget to give themselves credit for what they achieved in 2009! Sit down and make a list of everything that went right in the past year. Celebrate yourself for all the successes you had, no matter how big or small. Not only will this help you reflect on how productive your last year really was, but doing this will fill you with a sense of accomplishment and lots of positive energy and motivation as you head into 2010!

4) Practice gratitude: Finally, be grateful for the resolutions you set in 2009 that didn’t pan out exactly the way you had hoped. There’s always an upside to every situation, and the sooner you can find it the better off you’ll be! Rather than beating yourself up for not having lost that ten lbs. last year, find the payoffs you gained from that situation. For example, maybe you were able to spend more time with your children because you weren’t spending so much time in the gym. Or maybe you didn’t get the job you were hoping for last year, but in turn that allowed you to start a successful online business instead. Even if the payoffs aren’t immediately obvious, keep looking and you’re sure to find them! The Universe always has your best interests in mind, so if you didn’t achieve something last year that you were hoping to it just means there was a bigger and better plan for you.

Here's to hoping that 2010 is your best year yet! If I can help you in any way or support you in achieving your dreams, you are always welcome to contact me.

4 comments:

  1. Indeed it's not easy to stick to your resolution. But I found a revolutionary mind-technology that's working for me. It's developed by Noah St. John and it's called "Afformations". It's different from Affirmations or Declarations. Hope it helps some of your readers too.

    Have a great year ahead Mary...

    Jose

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  2. yes!! i love this post. my two words for 2010 are abundance and positivity. may your 2010 be filled with joy, sparkle, warmth, and especially love. hugs!!

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  3. Jose, I totally agree with you... Afformations rock! In fact, your comment inspired me to write my latest post about my success with Afformations. Thanks for the idea! :)

    The post is called "Questions to Create Your Ideal Life."

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  4. Hi Melita! So nice to see you here:)

    Ohhh, I love your words! My focus for 2010 is self-love, without a doubt.

    Here's to hoping 2010 is your best year yet!

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