Becoming involved in the New Year resolution feast is almost inescapable. Friends, relatives, colleagues and strangers will wish you well and inquire about your resolutions. Personally, I have always felt compelled to at least think about the year ahead and the wishes, intentions and changes I really want but, like a lot of people, I have sometimes left these behind as the year rolls on.
Is this your story? Do your great intentions get lost? Are they overtaken by the next challenge or issue that presents itself?
Don’t let the opportunity to create positive change slip away. It’s now – this is your year.
Over the years I have read widely, experimented, discussed and worked with clients on intentions and resolutions and keep coming back to three steps that, when committed to, actually move you more determinedly in the direction of your hopes and goals.
In The Attitude Book, chapter 20 “Question Yourself”, I have written about how change to yourself and any situation is always as a result of a choice. Moments of clarity come when, at least in part, you work through brilliant questions asked of you or by you and subsequently make a choice about what is important, what needs doing. Taking the time first to tune into your own questions is crucial – what are you asking yourself?
Let’s start with the following to stimulate your intentions:
· STOP-START-CONTINUE – What can I stop? What would I like to start? What shall I definitely continue?
· MORE of / LESS of – What do I want more of? What do I enjoy the most? What do I need less of?
· BEING / HAVING / DOING – How do you want to be? What do you want to have? How do you want to feel? What do you want to be doing?
And write it down (evidence is now indisputable that written intentions dramatically increase the likelihood of them materialising). The simpler you can state it, the more likely it will stay the course. Now for the three steps to activate them:
1. Clarify Often – take a moment each week (diarise it) and re-consider your focus, is it still true, how are you doing, what might be better now. Clarify, clarify, clarify.
2. Commit to today – each morning simply agree to live out your resolution for the day ahead - no more. Start winning, often!
3. Act as if it were already true– shift your physiology and behaviour NOW, it will feel false at first, but notice how one day at a time your resilience and belief grow.
There are many attitude shifters to help in The Attitude Book and simplifiers in The ‘Keep It Simple’ Book. I’m bound to say it, of course but my books will be useful guides for your incredible year of personal evolution.
Good luck and keep it simple,
Simon