New Year's Resolutions-UGH!
Its that time of year again, when we look back on the past year and consider the new one. Can you hear it? "This year I'm finally going to get in shape, take on a new perspective on life, go for that job I really want, spend more time with my family...ya-da-ya-da-ya-da." Its not that we aren't sincere or that we don't really want to create change in our lives...we do. Its just that for many of us, we don't take the time to really understand what it takes to make a true and lasting commitment to change. We simply say I am going to do this and then next December we look back and wonder what happened?
Consider this: Are the goals that you are setting for yourself in alignment with what you really value in life? Do they resonate for you? By this I mean, when you consider the goal, does it strike a chord with you or is it something that you look at as hard work and a burden?
For instance, the number one New Year's resolution: Losing weight. Why doesn't it work for some of us? First off, does losing weight excite you? Are you ready to jump out of bed in the morning raring to go? The term itself, losing weight, starts off in a negative context. It has nothing to do with what I value in my life. It looks like deprivation and hard, boring work. So how can the task of losing weight not be such a task?
Well, one of things I know about myself is that I am in a transition period in my own life and I am really excited about the various changes that have been taking place. I am clear about what truly matters to me...my passions and my values. If I take losing weight as part of the entire transformation I seek for myself, then it sits in a positive context and is in alignment with everything else that I do to be the best person I can be. My perspective on losing weight is not loss...it is growth. I do it for my health, my well-being, my self-esteem. It becomes another way to honor myself. I take on a new perspective...not one of deprivation or boring,hard work (which sets me up to fail before I even start),but one of personal growth and well-being. I am doing this for myself, not for anyone else.
Our attitude towards a goal, any goal, is extremely important in determining its outcome. How I look at it sets the stage. If I am in the perspective of deprivation then everything about it will be in that negative perspective. If I am in the perspective of honoring myself, then everything I do is an affirmation of who and what I am. Attitude not only changes the way we see things, it actually changes reality.
Also, is now the time for this particular goal? It may or may not be. Take a sheet of paper and make two columns: Why Now and Why Not. Insure that the timing is right. Concentrate on the process, not the end result. If all you think about is the end result then you set yourself up for frustration and disappointment. Remember it will be all the small steps that you take that will have you arrive at your goal. Concentrate on the small steps. Go easy on yourself. Don't beat yourself up. Treat yourself the way you would a student that you are encouraging. Buddy up and create accountability. Don't go it alone. Nobody ever said you have to do everything all by yourself. Change can happen. View things through the lens of possibility, not impossibility.
Consider this: Are the goals that you are setting for yourself in alignment with what you really value in life? Do they resonate for you? By this I mean, when you consider the goal, does it strike a chord with you or is it something that you look at as hard work and a burden?
For instance, the number one New Year's resolution: Losing weight. Why doesn't it work for some of us? First off, does losing weight excite you? Are you ready to jump out of bed in the morning raring to go? The term itself, losing weight, starts off in a negative context. It has nothing to do with what I value in my life. It looks like deprivation and hard, boring work. So how can the task of losing weight not be such a task?
Well, one of things I know about myself is that I am in a transition period in my own life and I am really excited about the various changes that have been taking place. I am clear about what truly matters to me...my passions and my values. If I take losing weight as part of the entire transformation I seek for myself, then it sits in a positive context and is in alignment with everything else that I do to be the best person I can be. My perspective on losing weight is not loss...it is growth. I do it for my health, my well-being, my self-esteem. It becomes another way to honor myself. I take on a new perspective...not one of deprivation or boring,hard work (which sets me up to fail before I even start),but one of personal growth and well-being. I am doing this for myself, not for anyone else.
Our attitude towards a goal, any goal, is extremely important in determining its outcome. How I look at it sets the stage. If I am in the perspective of deprivation then everything about it will be in that negative perspective. If I am in the perspective of honoring myself, then everything I do is an affirmation of who and what I am. Attitude not only changes the way we see things, it actually changes reality.
Also, is now the time for this particular goal? It may or may not be. Take a sheet of paper and make two columns: Why Now and Why Not. Insure that the timing is right. Concentrate on the process, not the end result. If all you think about is the end result then you set yourself up for frustration and disappointment. Remember it will be all the small steps that you take that will have you arrive at your goal. Concentrate on the small steps. Go easy on yourself. Don't beat yourself up. Treat yourself the way you would a student that you are encouraging. Buddy up and create accountability. Don't go it alone. Nobody ever said you have to do everything all by yourself. Change can happen. View things through the lens of possibility, not impossibility.
a refreshing view of life...
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