This Time Next Year
"If you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always got."
Does this sound familiar? We tend to start the New Year setting Resolutions for the year to come, i.e. I will lose 20 lbs, I will go to the gym, I will give up smoking, I will start a new career path, etc. And by the end of January, or sometimes by the end of January 1, we have given them up and life goes back to normal. At some points during the year, we’ll re-hash our dreams and wishes for the year to come, but for most of us at the end of the year we are exactly the same as we were a year ago! How would you like to change this? If you are interested in some simple steps to help you make some permanent changes in your happiness, health and well-being for the year to come, then read on.
Start here: If this year, you are still challenged by the same issues you were dealing with last year, what are you going to do differently in the year to come to move beyond them? Take a moment to imagine where you could be NOW if only you had overcome these problems last year!
1) The first step is to accept. The way things are is the way things are. Do you look in the mirror and hold in your tummy? Do you not look in the mirror at all? (And that can be a metaphorical mirror!) Are you being honest with yourself? Pick something that you have been ‘sweeping under the rug’ and get honest. Choose one thing about you that you would like to change and begin by accepting that is who you are right now.
"The measure of success is not whether you have a tough problem to deal with, but whether it's the same problem you had last year." - John Foster Dulles
(My CD Acceptance is designed to help you with this step: All improvements in life begin with accepting that things aren’t working the way we would like them to. By accepting that life is one way we are not locking ourselves into that way for ever, we are taking the first step to change. The Acceptance CD takes you on a guided journey to allow yourself to “let go” of the way things are and create an opening in your life to let in the new.)
2) Decide what change you would like to make. Where would you like to be this time next year? Really, take a moment and think about this. If we go back to the ‘losing weight’ analogy—what would you realistically like to see changed by this time next year: January 2011. Instead of looking at numbers, go with ‘how would you like to feel’. For example, how would you feel if you were wearing something that was well-fitted and you were feeling healthy and attractive?
If you have been thinking about taking some courses to add to your profession or to start changing your career path, what is holding you back? Imagine how it feels to be doing something you love for a living.
3) It’s time to take action. Make the commitment to you that ‘it’s time to take control of life and start making some serious decisions about what kind of life you want to live’. This is the easy part; decide to change one thing and then start to make the change! This can be joyful, exciting and easy.
The most important thing to remember is: You have to choose to make a conscious decision to make something different happen. That’s all you have to do is make the decision. In your mind, once you have made a decision that’s it. There is no back door escape hatch. You simply cut yourself off from any other possible option.
If you are not sure what that feels like, think back to a time you were certain about something. Perhaps the day you decided to marry your partner, the day you decided to train in a particular job path, the day you decided ‘yes, this is where I want to live’. Now think about what you want to change in your life—does it feel like ‘yes’?
4) Follow through! When you have found something you are prepared to change and made the conscious decision to make the change, it gets easier and easier to follow through. People, circumstances, thoughts, ideas and solutions will suddenly begin to show up as the Universe aligns and makes the path for you. All you have to do is pay attention.
So, I ask you again, ’where do you want to be this time next year?’
Here are some affirmations to help you along the way:
- This year I agree to do only the things I intend to follow through with
- This year I am making ME a priority
If these affirmations don’t feel right for you, create the ones that do. The important thing to remember is that ‘you have to mean it’! Believe and know!
If you feel the time is right to start making changes and you would like some help you can either contact me for personal one-on-one coaching and facilitating to help you make these changes, or you can purchase my CDs and start working with me by listening daily and allowing your subconscious mind to start the process.
I sincerely wish you the best year ever! May your wishes and dreams come true! Start, by believing you can change. Gentle change leads to permanent results.
What does January 2011 look like?