Einstein famously said
‘Insanity is doing the same thing over & over again & expecting a different result’
Perhaps that’s where I’ve been going wrong with the whole New Year resolutions thing…….?
WHY I’M RESISTING NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONS
Like many I see the New Year as an opportunity for a new start. Official permission to start over, start something new & a time to reassess where we’ve been & where we want to go.
It’s the ‘where I’ve been part’, that’s generally the bit that puts a dampener on the whole New Year Resolutions proceedings. You see, no matter how SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, & Timely) my resolutions/goals were, there seems to be a large percentage that just don’t end up with the official tick of completion, as the New Year rocks around.
Yes, 2020 has been an unprecedented year – so you could say it’s understandable. But if we’re honest it’s probably not just 2020 where the New Year Resolutions have been left incomplete.
I’ve now come to the conclusion that no matter how flash I make my resolutions with cute planners, favourite gel pens, a few strategically placed images & highlights, or trendy goal setting / accomplishing techniques – New Year Resolutions just aren’t working for me.
Let’s be honest the whole New Year resolutions and reflection thing can be a bit of a downer! More often than not we end up focussing more on what we didn’t achieve the should’ve, could’ve, would’ves , than celebrating our successes.
SO HERE’S WHAT YOU CAN DO INSTEAD
This year I’ve decided to tackle the New Year Resolutions thing a little differently (& so can you) ignoring other expectations & societal norms of how a resolution should look. Instead of focusing on ‘the doing’ – I’m focussing on ‘the being’ how I (as a person/individual) choose to show up in the world.
Perhaps this doesn’t sound like an earth shattering concept but I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised at how impactful such a small thing can be.
Maybe I’m a bit jaded by years of KPI’s & planning session in the corporate world, but somehow focussing on how I choose to show up in this world makes a whole lot more sense to me. Rather than setting resolutions that may or may not get achieved, & then being disappointed, only to keep doing the same thing year in year out expecting a different result. It doesn’t take Einstein to realise that that’s insane.
I’m a strong believer that how I am in this world impacts what I achieve in this world
If you live from a place of gratitude, love, authenticity & understanding these things will be mirrored back to you & ultimately new opportunities & abundance will flow.
WHY FOCUS ON ‘BEING’
By focussing on how we interact with the world we are ultimately taking responsibility for the one thing that’s 100% within our circle of influence. Ourselves. No matter what else is going on in the world from pandemics, family issues, to Government imposed restrictions we always have a choice as to how we react & interact.
Trusting in the bigger picture
It also helps us to surrender & trust the bigger picture in life. New Year resolutions are a way of predetermining & controlling the direction of life & attaining what we THINK we want. However, have you ever wondered how do we really know what’s best for us in life? As the saying goes ‘we don’t know what we don’t know’ Perhaps our job/purpose here is actually more about being the best version of ourselves while in turn trusting that the universe will provide the opportunities & guidance for us to live our best life.
Let your intuition take the reigns
Trusting in the bigger picture isn’t about being passive & waiting patiently. For it to work – we can’t just sit there & expect all this greatness to manifest out of nowhere, we still need to take action & be an active participant in our life. Knowing what to take action on is the challenging bit, & even more of a challenge when we’ve decided to forgo New Years Resolutions.
Well the good news is that we each have our own inner GPS that’s here to guide us for our highest good & that’s our intuition. Our intuition will subtly let us know what to do & where to take action, the key is trusting & learning how to interpret & listen to it.
ONE LAST THING……
There’s a few other things that have occurred to me with this new approach to New Year resolutions
1. It’s a full proof plan – i.e. it’s impossible to be derailed by outside influences or events beyond our control as we are purely focussing on our own actions which are independent of other factors.
2. It gives us freedom to grow & evolve as we are not locked into, or invested in, specific outcomes – and with that comes the flexibility to adapt & change as feels right for us.
But most of all – it give us the ultimate freedom to truly be ourselves. Not conforming to others ideas & expectations of what is right but rather choosing what truly matters & feels right to us.
So how are you choosing ‘to be’ this year?
