First Goal for the New Year: Resolve Not to Resolve

If you find yourself doing the same old thing, you are undoubtedly getting the same old result. Here are five tweaks that will make all the difference:
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New Years is notorious for perpetuating the unhealthy habit of making resolutions. Unhealthier still, is that some of these resolutions remain the same every year, with very few people ever achieving them.

"Why didn't I get that promotion?"

"Why am I not married yet?"

"Why haven't I saved enough money for a down payment?"

And, of course, the ubiquitous "Why haven't I lost any weight?"

These are just a few complaints, of course. You might have your own.

Few people actually accomplish what they set out to do because of one thing: they keep making resolutions! How ironic is it that we hear Auld Lang Syne year after year. The title of the Scottish tune translates to "times gone by", and is about remembering friends and events from the past and not letting them be forgotten. Some things need to be let go of and forgotten, especially if they continuously fail us and no longer serve us. It's time to replace repetitive patterns and redundant habits that do not work, and replace them with ones that do.

The concept of letting go of "resolutions" may or may not be new to you, but think about it for a minute. Resolutions only work if you possess a "sticktoitiveness" mindset. The word itself is inauspicious. That's why you may have tried numerous times, but failed to achieve the same goal you set 5 or 10 years ago.

Depending on which thesaurus you use, the word "resolution" can mean intention, resolve, decision, aim, plan, and so forth. You've read things like: "He kept his resolution not to smoke five packs a day," and "she resolved not to date any more bad boys". In the former, the word "kept" is the key word. The subject could have gone the other way and not kept his resolution. In the latter, the outcome has not yet been decided. In each of these instances the "intent" is there, but there is an "out" clause looming. A goal cannot be accomplished if there is an out clause.

If you find yourself doing the same old thing, you are undoubtedly getting the same old result. Here are five tweaks that will make all the difference:

  • Eliminate the word "try" from your dictionary. "Trying" is one of those "just-in-case-l-fail" words that provides an excuse when you are close to failing to reach a goal.
  • Switch your intention from "I will" to "I am". "I will" represents something uncertain, and in order to manifest you must have certainty that you are walking towards your goal, and it is waiting to shake hands with you.
  • Forget resolutions. Instead of "resolve", think "evolve". By committing to evolve, you are on your way to reaching your goal. It will help to recall a time when this happened to you in the past - when you were 100% committed to something which led to victory and, in hindsight, so much more.
  • Be determined, relentless and unstoppable. It's not about perseverance. Perseverance is something you will into action when your goal seems to be slipping away. Commit and go the distance. Persevering will not only tire you; it's frustrating and does not guarantee success. Commit to evolving, and you will succeed!
  • Remember that randomness rarely leads to greatness. Apply a formula to it. A meticulous plan of action trumps randomness any day.

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