Traditionally, the word resolution is mentioned frequently as one calendar year closes and a new one begins. Have you received more than a handful of e-mails in the past 14 days designed to inspire you to make this year “your year?” Before deciding to do anything differently, I’d like to invite you to look back at the past twelve months and take inventory of your life to acknowledge what did and did not serve you and your goals.
Here are some steps to guide you:
- Pick a quiet time and space to avoid interruptions for this exercise. If music helps you to relax, put on some tunes. Dance breaks are also fun to do before starting.
- Grab a pen and paper or open a basic text file on your computer. Take 5-10 minutes and list anything and everything you remember that went well between January and December 2015. Quickly flipping through your calendar or glancing at your digital photos can help you get started. Think of it as a gratitude retrospective.
- List one thing that didn’t go as well as you hoped. What happened? Did you learn anything from that experience? If you feel yourself getting agitated, make note of it, but don’t linger on it too long.
- If you could change one thing in your life right now, what would it be? Why?
- On a scale of 1 – 10 (10 being “absolutely want to act”; 1 being “not even thinking about it”), how strong is your desire to take action (a small and doable action) toward that change?
Changes that are forced into existence (for example, “I should do this…”) are not sustainable for the long-term. Changes fueled by an inner fire can lead to permanent change. You’ve got to want it – whatever it is- deeply enough. How strong is your desire to cultivate the feeling that you want to feel?
In the spirit of reflection first, here are some examples of reflection action suggestions:
- If your desire is to be healthier through better nutrition, commit to a food journal for one month. Write down or take a picture of everything you eat and note how you feel consuming that food. The results may surprise you!
- Wanting to wake up each day energized instead of exhausted? Are you willing to go to bed 15-30 minutes earlier at night (baby steps) and reap the benefits of feeling more rested, focused, excited and looking better as you embrace your day?
- To create financial abundance, the first step is to determine how much you spend over a period of time. Keep track of everything you spend in a small notebook, electronic file or money management application. This includes cash transactions. No judgment; write it down. Do this for at least one month can open your eyes to your spending patterns. Commit to obtaining last year’s bank and credit card statements to review your expenditures over a 12-month period: is the information there congruent with what you want and where you want to go financially in 2016 (and beyond)
- If you desire to have more time, try this one week activity: record how you spend each hour of your day. Write it down or log it into your electronic calendar, paying particular attention to when you hear yourself saying, “I don’t have time for …..” This first step is awareness. No need to change anything, yet.
After creating a log in a particular area of your life, repeat steps 1-5 (above) again.
Review your results. For example, if you kept a food journal, highlight everything that went well. Notice when you felt good after a particular meal. When you didn’t feel so good, what was going on? Do you see a trend in the type of food consumed or the environment you were in when you consumed that food? Did the Record and Reflect Process inspire a deeper desire for change?
Hopefully, going through this process gives you a better idea of where you’ve been, where you want to go, and what you desire to change, if anything.
Please comment below and let me know at least one idea that you think would help you meet your goals this year. I’m excited for you as you fulfill your desires and make conscious resolutions!
“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose.” ~ Dr. Seuss