Resolutions Made Easy - Relationship Specialists - Counseling and Coaching in Hillsboro, OR

Resolutions Made Easy

Every year we set resolutions, write goals, and move forward with determination to make the New Year better. Then, two or three weeks into January, we inevitably find ourselves back in our old patterns and routines, our resolutions and goals a distant memory.

Sound familiar? That’s because the way we’ve been taught to make resolutions and set goals is innately flawed. Most of us will admit, if we’re honest with ourselves, that our goals and resolutions are pretty similar each and every year. We want to lose the same ten pounds, exercise more, increase our income by the same percentage, improve our relationship (or create one). You know the drill. You may throw in a few other well chosen traits, like being more patient and loving or making your spiritual practice a regular habit, but by in large the things we want remain constant. We write them down, feeling good about ourselves that this year will be different, then we pretty much put the process out of our minds. We’ve done our yearly duty. We’ve taken the time to write down our desires, and now, by magic, they should appear. Hmmm. Do you know the definition of crazy? It’s doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different outcome. It simply doesn’t happen. Why not make this year different? Instead of resolutions and goals, why not set an intention to make this the best year ever…and then put some attention and energy into that intention and actually create it.

By setting your intention, you give a clear message to the Universe about what you want to discover, understand and change. Then, instead of being run by your life, you take responsibility for having your life go in the direction of your choosing. You decide what you want and go for it. People often comment on the success of others as luck, being in the right place at the right time, knowing the right people, etc. We prefer to believe the saying that ‘luck is when opportunity and preparedness meet’.

You must have an intention and allow that intention to move you through life. Make it lofty. It should excite and motivate you. Don’t worry about the goal right now. Focus only on your intention. For example, your intention could be to make this the happiest year of your life so far, to live beyond your wildest dreams. What would this mean for you? Perhaps it’s paying all your bills and having money left over to play, maybe spending six months in Europe. Perhaps it means being in a loving relationship or being physically fit. Allow your goals to flow naturally from your intention. The next step is keeping your intention constantly in front of you. Visualize it several times each day.

Really feel it. This is the most important part of the process. If you can’t imagine how it will feel, how can you move into it?

See yourself accomplishing the dream. Become emotionally invested. See it, feel it, own it, and it will happen. Doors will open. Your job is to be prepared when the opportunity presents itself. Will that make it easier to get out of bed in the morning with a smile on your face? You bet.

Now, on a practical level, how is this accomplished? Using our example, take a few minutes each morning and each evening to visualize the life you want. Fill in all the details and FEEL them being a reality. How would this day go if it were part of your “happiest year so far” intention. What would you be willing to do to make this happen? Make five extra cold calls? Get up ten minutes earlier and spend that time with your partner? This is how goals are created naturally and with ease. They flow from your intentions. The most successful people reaffirm their intentions daily, either mentally repeating them in their head, reading them multiple times a day or writing them down. It takes this type of routine and discipline to create success. Many of you have probably tried this before only to let it fall by the wayside. That is what differentiates successful people from everyone else. Successful people keep their vision constantly in front of them, using it as a compass to guide their day. If they get off track, they know what it will take to get right back on, and do it.

Use these four easy steps to make this year different.
Step 1: Set your intention. Make it lofty.
Step 2: Allow your goals to flow naturally from this intention. What are you willing to do to make your intention become a reality?
Step 3: Visualize your intention as if it is already happening. Really FEEL it.
Step 4: Repeat steps 1-3 daily. Do not allow yourself to fall back into old patterns.

Above all, remember to remain positive and give gratitude for what you already have in life.

It is possible to live your dreams. Never again do you need to write goals and work to achieve them. Simply set an intention that makes your heart sing and allow it to happen. Happy New Year.