We all have great hopes for the New Year but as the days go by we often lose sight of those hopes. Life seems to get in the way of achieving our dreams and we may just try to get through the week. Then when the weekend comes we may be too tired to remember our dreams.
That’s what so often happens with our New Year’s Resolutions. Have you ever made a resolution that you started out being motivated to achieve but by the end of January you were berating yourself for not staying motivated and in action toward your goal? I certainly have.
The problem isn’t you. Rather, the problem is the method that we’ve been taught to use to achieve our goals. We’ve been taught that if we just try to force ourselves to achieve a goal worth achieving, that we will arrive there. Or, if we just hope against hope, maybe it will happen.
Let’s look at this process in more detail. How successful have you been in losing weight by avoiding desert? How successful have you been in going to the gym when you really didn’t want to go?
For many of us, not very. And I want to tell you, that you aren’t to blame. That’s because being hard on yourself will actually only result in eating more desert and skipping more trips to the gym.
Let’s look at why. When you tell yourself that you must do something, you invoke your resistance; which feels like a huge “No!” To illustrate this, take a moment to imagine having to clean out a pile of clutter in your home or someone else’s home.
Do you feel that “No!”? So, resistance plays a crucial part in whether you are actually able to achieve your goals or not because when you are feeling resistant, all that comfort food and indulgent lazy behavior looks very appealing.
So, what can you do instead? Rather than trying to push yourself toward your goal, the most effective method is to inspire yourself; most likely with a completely different goal than the one you came up with in your New Year’s Resolution.
Here’s a meditation you can use to create a goal that inspires you and that you truly want to achieve. I used this meditation, myself, on New Year’s Day to celebrate the New Year.
Close your eyes.
Take three deep breaths or more until you feel relaxed.
Now, place your hand over your heart.
Ask your heart what goal or dream it wants for you this year.
Then ask your heart how you can best achieve this goal or dream.
When you receive your answers, be sure to write them down. And most importantly, commit to doing what your heart has asked of you.
To stay inspired and moving forward, I recommend that you connect with your heart each day. A simple way to do this is with my complimentary heart connection meditation that has relaxing music, Listening to the Wisdom of Your Heart.
You can receive the meditation by going to innerpeaceandpurpose.com and signing up for my Inner Peace and Starter Kit.
