How to Move Beyond “New Year’s Resolutions” So You Can Create Lasting Results

It’s that time of the year when most of us reflect on the year that has just gone by. And if you’re like me, you wonder how it can already be December. “Where did the time go?” We all get busy, don’t we? Family, work, leisure, email, social media, travel… and sometimes, just trying to make it through the day.

We may wonder if we missed out on accomplishing what we set out to do around this time last year. Were we so busy, that life passed us by? 

The Question I No Longer Ask
I used to ask people what their New Year’s resolution is, but over time, I came to realize that resolutions, whether for myself or others, did not always create lasting results. A “resolution,” as we define it, is when we resolve to improve our life in one form or another. This can translate as us changing an undesired trait or behavior or trying to accomplish a personal goal. 

The challenge that often arises is when we make a resolution, but don’t have a clear plan in place to accomplish what we desire. Most of us tend to get caught up in the excitement that we can make a change, and then we lose momentum within a few months because “life gets in the way,” or we have excuses or thoughts that take us off course.

Moving Beyond Resolutions for Lasting Results
Through experience, experimenting and a bit of “soul-searching”, over time I became enlightened to a number of practices that help us to create lasting change and transformation, and that take us beyond simply making a resolution.

I will touch on the fundamental qualities of one of those practices now. I encourage you to try this right now, even if just quickly within your mind at first (and then later you can write it out more fully).

There is a method by which we can literally write out or define our desired life. 

It is, in essence, a living, working plan of your life that includes your relationship with divinity. I often speak about the three stories of our life—the story that we write, the story that’s being written through us and the story that we co-write with Divine Guiding Presence. (I call this presence God.) What we are doing when we write out this desired life/lifestyle, is we bring together these three stories in a way that what we desire and declare can be divinely guided and fulfilled in a wholly beneficial way.

This really works. I encourage you to take the time if you are looking for lasting change and greater overall happiness.

So, how do you write out this plan?

There are four steps that I will summarize for you here: 

1. Draw a circle and at the center of this plan, write out qualities of Divinity (God/Christ/Universe/Divine Love) as you envision or believe them to be. (For help, check out the book, The Three Supreme Gifts)
2. Draw a circle around this first circle and write your purpose (that Higher purpose or calling) as you believe it to be, here on Earth. This can be as simple as writing out what you intend your role to be in your family or in your job (bringing in these qualities listed in the inner circle).
3. Draw a circle around these other two circles and list out any qualities in your personality that you may need to improve upon in order to fulfill this purpose, or set of purposes, that you have defined. 
4. Get clear on the various areas of your life and declare what you want those areas—health, relationships, job and financial lifestyles—to look like and what action you’re willing to take to help fulfill these areas. 

There is actually a fifth step that requires a greater explanation and guidance, however, doing the above steps helps you to move beyond simply, “making a New Year’s resolution,” and into a place of empowerment where you can create lasting results for this coming year.

Have questions? Use the comment form below.

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