In just 20 days we will ring in the New Year! I'm excited. I love Christmas and the New Year. I've been making and keeping New Year resolutions most of my life, so it's a special time of the year for me. Maybe for you too. Did you make and keep a New Year resolution in 2006? If your answer is 'YES', congratulations!
If your answer is 'yes' and 'no, I gave up', I'm sorry to hear that, but I'm not surprised. New Year revelers commonly make a long list of things they want to change about themselves - I like to call it the 'sins list', stop drinking, stop smoking, stop over-spending, stop -over-eating, you get the gist. The list of 'sins' is drawn up on January 1, and promptly ignored on January 2. The reason: no fun, too much work, too hard, not interested . . .
No suprise there either. It takes a lot of time, determination and courage to tackle and achieve just one resolution, especially if it's a habit or behavior that you don't really want to change, but know you should to improve your life.
Maybe it's time to think of New Year resolutions in a different way. I'm stubborn. I don't want to abandon the practice of making resolutions. It's a wonderful way to achieve great things. January 1 is a perfect day to begin the journey toward achievement - its a day in which you have a clean slate - 365 more glorious days to enjoy your life!
If you're thinking about making a resolution, I ask you open your mind on January 1, 2007. Frame your New Year resolution in a different way. Become a Resolution Revolutionary like me: think outside the box. Just because most people pursue New Year resolutions in a way that leads to failure doesn't mean you have to do the same. Consider a different way of making and keeping resolutions. A way that works.
First: Make just one resolution for 2007. What would you love to achieve more than anything? What is your dream? What would you do if you had all the money and time in the world? I've asked myself those question many times. My response is always the same: writing and photography top the list. My resolution in recent years has been to exercise daily because I enjoy it, but also because I'm using myself and my exercise resolution as a case-study for how to achieve resolutions. My dream is to help people to achieve 'their' resolutions, their dreams - one resolution, one day at a time.
Second: You don't have to achieve your resolution, your dream, overnight. Great athletes don't break records overnight. Great writers don't write best sellers overnight. They work passionately to achieve their dreams day after day - one day at a time. You can too. You can achieve your dream, one resolution, one day at a time for one year. If you put in just 30-minutes each day, that time compounds like interest in a bank account: 7.5 full 24-hour days devoted toward your resolution in one year. That's a lot of time to work toward a cherished dream.
Third: You don't have to go it alone. Join me here. I intend to lend moral support to any and all who join me in this journey. After you've made a firm decision (resolve) to pursue your resolution, enlist your family, get them involved. Seek out friends who share your dream, work together. Take a class, join a club. There are so many options and choices. So many different ways to meet and work with like-minded souls who share your interest and may be working toward the eact same dream!
Fourth: Develop a plan. It's pretty difficult to travel from New York to Los Angeles without a roadmap. Same goes for achieving resolutions. You need a plan, a resolution roadmap that will guide you to your final destination - take you to soaring heights, and get you past the pot holes. Creating and maintaining a plan isn't hard, but it's vitally important. I can guide you through the process.
In the next few weeks open your mind and 'Dare to Dream'. Think about what you would love to achieve more than anything else. Imagine achieving that dream. Wouldn't it be wonderful? You don't have to do it overnight. You don't have to do it alone. You can do it. You can achieve your dream in 2007. One resolution, one day at a time for one year. Become a Resolution Revolutionary like me. Let's 'go for it' in 2007 with passion, determination, faith, hope, and an abundance of optimism.
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