New Year's Resolutions That Work

As the end of the year 2008 approaches, it's a time for celebration.

It's also a great time for reflection. Traditionally it's a time for

visualizing what we want to accomplish in the New Year and

creating those infamous resolutions.All too often, what starts out

as a positive exercise in forward thinking, becomes an energy

draining exercise in agonizing over past failures.

How many times have you tried and failed to make these same

changes?

Why not try something a little different in 2009?

How about shifting your focus from what you didn't do, to wha

you actually did do and start building from there?Many people

have a hard time giving themselves credit for what's working in

their lives. We are so in the habit of beating ourselves up and

blaming ourselves for what's not right and what's not working.

All that negativity requires a huge amount of energy. It tires us

out, drains us of joy, and blocks out any sense of hope and well

being for the future. It completely obscures a great deal of the

good we have going for us.

Here is a 7-step process you can follow to support you in

beginning this New Year with a joyous new attitude.

1) Make a list of all the things you did right last year.

Think about all the things you are proud of, all the areas where

you moved forward in your life, even in small ways. List the

things you are grateful for about your life and how you contribute

to those around you.Add to your list what you appreciate about

the many things you have accomplished and how they have

positively impacted your life. Congratulate yourself for these

noteworthy accomplishments.

We get caught up in focusing on what we failed to accomplish

and often forget to give ourselves credit for the many more things

that we did check off our list!

2) Take inventory of your negative thoughts and feelings.

What are you hanging on to that is draining your energy? What

resentments are you holding? What are you angry about? Who are

you angry with? What are you angry with yourself about? What

are your regrets? Write down all the specific negative emotions you

can identify on as many pieces of paper as it takes.

3) Make a conscious choice to release these negative

emotions.

Declare your intention with clarity of conviction by stating out loud,

"I release my anger, resentments and regrets. I forgive myself, and

others, for our past mistakes and imperfections. I open my heart to

a more positive outlook on life".

4) Decide how you'd like to feel about yourself, your life

and the people around you.

Fill your mind with positive thoughts about your life and positive

feelings of anticipation for a new start in your new year. Notice

how you feel just thinking about your life in this new way.

5) Create an energizing life plan.

Instead of making a laundry list of New Year's Resolutions, spend

some time taking a broader view.

What kind of quality of life would energize you?

How can you create more time for the things that really

matter;what things can you say "no" to?

What do you want to do to take care of yourself that would

be nurturing and soul satisfying?

What could you do to bring more intimacy or sense of

connection to your important relationships?

What things could you make a part of your life next year

that would create more satisfaction, balance and well being?

Take a holistic view of your life and create a written plan that

will energize you to take action.Answering the questions and

doing the activities outlined in this seven-step process will

guide you to make changes from the heart.

Changes that come from a place of heart-felt desire, along with

clarity of your desired outcome in terms of the quality of life you

are seeking, will naturally give you greater momentum for success

than changes motivated by harsh recriminations.

As you enter the New Year, treat yourself with kindness,

acknowledge and celebrate the good in your life and the important

things you have accomplished, let go of negativity, and enjoy your

new year with a new attitude!

BELIEVE them and guess what?

You'll be celebrating your wins in 2009!

QUOTE OF THE POST

"Remember not the former things, Behold I make all things new" - God to you

Why It's Important to Stop and Reflect

The Poet (French: Le Penseur) is a bronze and

marble sculpture by Auguste Rodin held in the

Musée Rodin in Paris . It depicts a man in sober

meditation battling with a powerful internal
struggle. It is often used to represent philosophy.

There is this poem: "What is this life if, full of care, We
have no time to stand and stare?"

We are all in such a rush to get to our next destination we

have no time to stop and reflect on where we have been and

what we have done. There always the fear that if we stop the

others who keep on going will overtake us and we will be left

behind in life's race.

But suppose we could do even better with less need to rush

along?

Reflection is a huge part of the learning process.

And the more knowledge you have and apply, the more power

you wield. This knowledge may provide you a way to stop

rushing along with the others and find a simpler method of

achieving success without the need to always keep running.

All our lives are lived in stages. We were infants who learn

observing how others behave. Then we go to school where a

formal system of teaching us begins and continues for twelve

years. Some of us go on to the university for another few years

before working. Our working lives too are a series of stages,

with one promotion and change of work after another, until

most of us retire. In each stage we do the best we can with the

tools and knowledge at our disposal. But we could have more

and be better equipped.

Hindsight has a very negative connotation. But if can

also be used for good. Taking time to reflect on things that

happened in the past using the hindsight of the knowledge

and experience you have gained since then, will often show you

ways in which you could have improved you performance in the

past. So what good does that do you now?

Well, consider someone learning to bake for the first time.

Whatever the results may have been, good or bad, looking

back after a few years of baking experience behind him will

allow our chef to see ways that in which he could have

produced a better cake that time.

Now suppose he did this exercise after his second baking

attempt. The second attempt will be better than the first,

because he would have learned more. But if he had
reflected in detail on the first attempt, he may have found

still more areas for improvement than the obvious ones he

picked up on. The third cake will not just be an improvement

on the second but will be the result of all that he has learned

from his previous experiences.

This will not only help him to do better, but will give
him the confidence to think of ways to reduce the work

involved and make things easier for himself. In other

words, a way out of the race to keep up.

You need not always reflect alone. Sitting with other

to analyze the past means more minds focused on the issue

which will result in a great understanding of what you

need to do in the future. The more minds shining their

light on a past situation, the more light the past will shed

on the present.

Reflection does not mean looking back and

beating yourself up for the mistakes you made or the

opportunities you let slip through your fingers.

Those have all long since been lost in the mists of time

and there's nothing you can do to bring them back. But

being able to look back and use the knowledge you have

acquired since then to understand how you can improve

today is the base of future success.

Think about it.

QUOTE OF THE POST

"A wise man gives thought to his ways.." - Proverbs

i'm Back!!!!!!

HELLO EVERYONE.

Merry Christmas in arrears.

It's been forever and I'm saying a big, BIG "I'm sorry " for being away for so looooong.

I just got an SMS from a friend of mine about 7 minutes ago (he was my PMP instructor too) and it's about this blog and it's very VERY encouraging.

In Life, we all need people to cheer us on. it usually costs them a little but the effect are ASTOUNDING on the recepient(s). Sometimes, it's just the energy and MOTIVATION needed to set you going from your inertia.

Yawwwwn!!!!!

it's so good to be awake Again!

QUOTE OF THE POST
" Quitters never win" - Anonymous

Thank you so much Kayode for your text.