How To Make And Keep Your New Year's Resolutions

[Guest guest]

How To Make And Keep

Your New Year's Resolutions

by

-Ann

I used to make a list of New Year's resolutions, such as: lose weight,

exercise, organize my desk, eat better, etc., etc., and so forth. However,

within a

day I'd broken at least half of them. The rest were blown by the end of the

week. Since I felt like a failure, I just stopped making them. I figured why

should I put myself through the frustration?

It's too bad, because resolutions are a positive way to improve your life and

change old habit patterns. Starting a new year with the intention of

establishing a healthier life helps us to wipe the slate clean, to write a

better

script. We begin with great hopes, only to get sucked back into the familiar

rut.

Why is it that so many times we fail to attain our list of resolutions?

Think about this. What if your partner brought you a long list of things they

wanted you to do immediately? For example, they wanted you to move all the

furniture in the house, change the landscaping, paint the house, completely

redecorate within a week? You'd groan, crumble and look for the closest hole to

hide in. The same is true of your subconscious mind.

Your subconscious mind processes and stores everything you've ever seen,

done, heard, thought, or experienced. All of this information mixes together to

give you the life you now have.

If you resolve to completely recondition yourself within a month, your inner

mind falters. " Too much! " it screams, and then proceeds to get you so involved

in life that you forget all that silly stuff. An excessive amount of change

at any one time overwhelms your subconscious. However, there are some things

you can do to maximize your success with New Year's resolutions.

First, as you might do every year, write down all the things that you want to

change in your life. But this time, prioritize them. Decide which are the

most important, then select one of these to concentrate on. By focusing on one

area at a time, you will be able to improve your chances of success.

Once you've chosen which area you want to concentrate on, write down all the

steps you need to take to fulfill that goal. For instance, suppose Sam decides

he wants to get healthy. To do so, he chooses to quit smoking, eliminate

caffeine, sugar, and alcohol, to stop partying, get enough sleep every night,

lose

weight, start exercising, and eat right. He can't do all of these at the same

time, or his subconscious will rebel. Therefore, he decides which facet he

wants to tackle first.

Break your goal down into reasonable steps. Don't try to change the world in

one week. As you accomplish one component, move onto the next one. It may

actually take a couple of years to achieve your whole list, but in a couple of

years you'll be so much healthier than you are now.

Once you have your first element chosen, you can now decide on what physical

actions to take every day. Taking physical action helps to convince the

subconscious that you mean business, and shows commitment to the process.

Visualize yourself acting out your objective. As you imagine yourself living

your goal, this gives your subconscious mind the direction it needs. It must

follow your envisioning. Mentally rehearse each day, identifying with your new

ideal, feeling how good it is to have accomplished your aim.

Write a short positive statement in the present tense that embodies your

resolution. Use this affirmation in your visualization to reinforce it. Say the

declaration aloud one hundred times a day. Print it on index cards and place

them where you see them often. This keeps you focused on your goal and begins to

impregnate your subconscious with what it is that you want. Trust that your

subconscious is making deep level changes, and knows the best way to help you to

transform.

By following these directions, you will be able to successfully make and keep

your New Year's resolutions. You have all the power within you to create a

wonderful new life for yourself. Don't be afraid to use it.

Affirmation

This year, I set reasonable goals of change for myself. After I write down

what areas of my life I wish to change, I narrow them down to focus on one. I

decide what steps I need to take to make the goal a reality in my life, and

begin with a single small, attainable action. As I'm successful, I add another

step. I visualize myself accomplishing my goal, knowing that doing so fully

involves my subconscious in helping me to transform. I commit myself to making

the

changes necessary to improve my life, knowing that I'm worth it.