For many of us, it seems that no matter how motivated by our resolutions, we go back to the way we were. We say life happens, we don’t have will power, or we lack discipline. Thankfully, these are NOT the reasons our resolutions don’t work. The difficulty lies in the process. Feel free to check out my Forward Thinking™ reminder, Keeping Resolutions, for specific guidance on how to reframe your resolutions to achieve long-lasting success.
For now, let’s get to the heart of matter: What do I really want to resolve? And how do I achieve it?
In my experience, it doesn’t matter who you are, how old you are, or what you do for a living, at the very essence, we all want the same thing—to be happy, at peace, and of service (to make a difference.)
If we get to the essence of any resolution, whether it be to lose weight, quit smoking, reduce stress, exercise more, get balance, or be more present, we discover that the essence of what we want, what we are resolving, is to be happy, at peace, and of service (to make a difference.)
So let’s start there. At the essence. Let’s ring out the old, and ring in the new. Let’s ring in peace, happiness, and making a difference.
How? With a single step in self-awareness: Noticing Need to, Have to, Should, and Must thoughts and replacing them with powerful thoughts.
Need to, Have to, Should, and Must thoughts suck the life out of us. They work against us in so many ways. They bring about force, criticism, blame, judgment, frustration, anxiety, and worry. They deplete our energy. They bring about attachment to one outcome. They block our ability to discover the reality we are choosing and to experience the joy of being on purpose or to discover we are not being true to ourselves. They prevent us from making a difference or seeing that we are making a difference. They close the door to our highest awareness and creativity. They do not inspire.
So the next time you catch yourself thinking or saying, Need to, Have to, Should, and Must, simply observe it, without blame or judgment, and do a do-over. Repeat whatever you just thought or said, replacing the Need to, Have to, Should, or Must with a powerful thought.
We have a buffet of powerful thoughts from which to choose (I love buffets!):
- I choose
- I am committed to
- I am thankful that
- I wonder how I could
- It would be great if
- I wonder what’s possible
- It’s important to me that
We all have different styles. See which thoughts feel right to you. One thought may feel powerful in one circumstance, and a different thought feels powerful in another. This is what self-awareness is all about. Noticing your thoughts and feelings and choosing thoughts that serve your purpose.
I invite you to try it. Ring out the old. Ring in the new. See what happens.
The ripple effect is of considerable magnitude.
PS If you want to measure the impact of putting your resolution into practice, feel free to take the How Do Your Thoughts Rule Your World?™ self-assessment, save your results, and take it again in four to six weeks to see the difference.
©2009 Managing Thought. All rights reserved.
For more on this topic and how to manage your thoughts in everyday circumstances and how to deal with the challenges you face in practicing self-awareness and being on purpose, Click Here.
