Dear Crystal Claire Waters,
Every year I make solemn New Year resolutions and by March or April, I slip up. Do you think New Year resolutions are beneficial or are they mine fields we lay for ourselves?
Signed, Dazed and Confused in Houston
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Dear Dazed and Confused in Houston,
An oft-discussed aspect of human nature is the relationship between one’s physical body and that of our spirit or soul, that gossamer thing that transcends a person’s physical attributes, the essence of who we REALLY ARE. Since that is the aspect of life that Dance of the Spirit focuses on, let’s start there.
New Year’s resolutions generally focus on everything from improving one’s relationships to personal growth issues such as “getting organized” . . . or our New Year resolution might be to “help others more” by doing volunteer charity work.
Other “promises to Self” may center on finances, such as “getting out of debt”. Today, an American epidemic of obesity exists, inspiring many to resolve to “exercise regularly” and “lose weight”.
In truth, human beings are creatures of habit; day to day, we do what we do because it’s easy; we choose the behavior that requires the least amount of effort. Whenever we choose to change, success requires commitment, fiery passion, and a belief in one’s Self.
Yes, I believe New Year resolutions are possible to attain (and maintain) if we are realistic with ourselves from the beginning. Have no doubt: 3-d Earthlings, as a general, entrenched rule, are motivated more by pleasure than pain; most New Year goals require hard work, some amount of pain, and a shift in priorities. This often means that we need to give up something in order to gain something else.
Such realism makes it profoundly important that you respect the power of your Subconscious Mind. Here are a few simple exercises you can use right away to program your goals into your subconscious mind:
1) Create a dream board: create a pictorial version of the goal that you want to achieve and paste it at a place where you can see everyday.
2) Write your goal into a notebook every night just before you go to sleep; write your desired goal 10-20 times. Continue to repeat your goal (in your mind) until you fall asleep.
3) Take 3-5 minutes everyday to quiet your mind as you focus your attention on visualizing yourself as already having reached your goal.
4) Write down encouraging affirmations for yourself, related to your goal, and place them in strategic locations where you will see them throughout the day.
The following tips list for attaining your New Year goal is from an article by Barbara White; it was posted on (http://ezinearticles.com/):
***Don’t expect instant results – it’s a process
***Plan small attainable steps to your desired goal
***Celebrate each successful step towards your goal and work on it until it feels automatic before progressing to the next
***Don’t give up when you experience relapses and set backs
***Review your new steps and goals several times daily
***Visualize what reaching your goal will look and feel like
***Find people who will support and encourage you on the way.
Regarding Diet and Exercise (usually number one on any generalized New Year resolution compilation), I also like this list from http://exercise.about.com/ :
1) Willpower (alone) won’t work. Willpower is for short-term success. Long-term success requires planning, discipline and finding ways to motivate yourself every day.
2) Motivation will not magically happen. What motivates you will change from day to day. You have to recommit to your goals each day; tweak them to fit changes in your lifestyle and attitude and find new ways to motivate yourself over the course of your life.
4) You will not always want to exercise and eat healthy. Even the most committed exerciser doesn’t always want to do it. Know that you will have to work on it every day.
5) Diets don’t work. Stop wasting your time following someone else’s plan for you. Make your own plan based on realistic changes–if you can’t follow your chosen diet for the rest of your life, you’re wasting precious time.
And, here’s some good advice regarding accomplishing ANY goal, whether it be a New Year resolution or an everyday, personal promise that you make to Self:
1) Be good to yourself. Be gentle and patient with yourself. Do something just for you every single day. 2) Give yourself credit and a pat on the back when you deserve it; give yourself encouragement when you fall short. 3) Don’t be afraid to step out of your comfort zone. 4) Develop a method to track your goals; a gratitude journal is a good way to do this. 5) Listen more than you talk, no matter who you are engaged with.
AND FINALLY . . . CHECK OUT this awesome website . . . every post on Blog4Change.org must inspire others to actually do something that will help their neighbor, a stranger, a pet, the environment, for the better: http://www.blog4change.org/
As Oprah Winfrey succinctly put it, “Cheers to a New Year and another chance for us to get it right.”
I wish you Good Health, Peace, Joy, and Prosperity,
Crystal Claire Waters
If you have a question for Crystal Claire Waters, send it via e-mail to: <info@autumnleavespublishing.com>
