How To Make New Year’s Resolutions That Work!
January 1, 2008
New Year’s is the only holiday that celebrates the passage of time. Perhaps that’s why, as the final seconds of this year tick away, we become introspective. Inevitably, that introspection turns to thoughts of self-improvement and the annual ritual of making New Year’s Resolutions. New Year’s Resolutions offer the first of many important tools for remaking ourselves.
People the world over make New Year’s Resolutions. Often, what we vow to improve is some habit related to health, weight, exercise, occupation and income. You may think your successes or failures in this department are of no interest to the world at large. Not true. In fact, a whole branch of science—psychology—is devoted to behavior modification. And psychology tells us that there are five stages involved in turning resolutions into realities.
The Five Stages That Lead to Successful Resolutions
Pre-contemplation: The desire to change is vague. This is a good time to seek information and ask some important questions such as, “What risks am I running by going along just as I have been?”
Contemplation: Weigh the benefits of change. This is a time to get specific, to monitor behavior. For example, keep a record of how much you eat, drink, spend, etc.
Preparation: Begin making small changes. For example, you might give up some TV time and redirect your energy. Now’s the time to tell family and friends that the leopard is about to change his spots. This is the time to make a firm commitment.
The Action: Banish and sacrifice vices while embracing and committing to new virtues. At this point, give yourself all the help and support you can by creating a sense of accountability to others. Encourage family and friends to prod, provoke and push you.
Maintenance: This is the challenging part. You’re finished with your old habit and into your new life. It is a lot easier to maintain your resolution than it is to regain it. Do your self a monumental favor and stay focused on WHY you set this resolution in the first place!
Those who stay the course and fulfill their resolutions share these characteristics:
1. They believe in their ability to change.
2. They did not indulge in self-blame or excuse making.
3. They avoid wishful thinking and concentrate on results.
4. They understand their motivators and reasons why the resolution is important.
Resolution Guidelines
The most important investments require time. Setting and achieving a resolution requires focus, effort, and commitment. Changing old habits and developing new ones won’t happen overnight. The following four guidelines are meant to help you achieve all of your New Year’s Resolutions:
1. Focus on one resolution at a time. Divide and conquer the activities to achieve your desired results. Break larger tasks into smaller ones — each of these make up your Personal Resolution Roadmap, a path to achieve your goal.
2. Create a sense of accountability. Designate a friend, mentor, or companion for sharing successes, monitoring progress, and offering support. The benefit of involving others in your goals and plans is instant access to experience, knowledge, and wisdom— it also raises the bar of responsibility.
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The Secret to Setting and Achieving Your Goals
December 12, 2007
Melissa was a stellar agent in a small real estate agency. After years of being the top earner in her company, she moved from that small agency into one of the largest real estate firms in the country. Melissa felt like she was moving up in the world and had high expectations to achieve even more in her new job. Unfortunately, after a few months of lackluster sales, Melissa felt like she wasn’t living up to it. She couldn’t understand why – she was doing the same kind of prospecting, honing her closing skills and working longer hours. But she didn’t know exactly what her objective was. Melissa was missing a goal. She was trying to achieve a vague dream, without a map or action plan to reach it.
There’s no big secret to achieving what you want out of life. The way to make your goals a reality is by empowering yourself with intellectual, emotional and practical tools, and converting them into habits. Here are the seven tools you need to achieve your professional or personal goals:
1. Define your dream.
Many of us dream about earning more money, getting that promotion or changing careers. Have you ever asked yourself why it is that once you have the additional money, the new position or a different career, you still aren’t happy? The reason is probably because you haven’t defined what your dream really is. It might not be the extra cash but the means to surround your family with comfort; it might not be about getting promoted, but being recognized for a job well-done; changing careers could be because you think that a new career will give you the excitement and enthusiasm you have lost.
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Do You Deserve Abundance?
November 2, 2007
In your heart of hearts, do you truly believe you deserve extraordinary abundance in your life? Even if you would like to believe it, is there that little voice in the back of your head that whispers doubts? That voice tells you that you really do not deserve to be happy and live an abundant life filled with everything you want and need. This would never happen to you. You’re just going to keep living that same old boring life, so you may as well get used to it. That nagging voice is a product of programming. This comes from all the negative experiences in your life. It gets to the point where we start to believe that voice because it has been saying the same lies to us for years! You even end up sabotaging yourself when good things are about to happen. If this sounds like you, you could be hindering abundance from coming to you. It is time to get rid of these blocks you are unconsciously using.
Three things to remember about this negative inner voice are (1) you can choose not to believe the voice; (2) it is replaying all the negative things you have said to yourself; and (3) it is repeating all the negative things other people have said to you. To start turning this around and begin to encourage a positive inner voice, start by talking to yourself in a kinder and more loving manner. What you tell yourself will be repeated by that inner voice, so change what you tell yourself. Try not to be so hard on yourself when things don’t go exactly the way you would wish. If you consistently speak to yourself in a positive manner, that inner voice will eventually start to change.
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The Secret Behind the Secret
October 7, 2007
The Vedic Viewpoint and Other Spiritual Perspectives
By Jayasri Radha
So many people including the Hollywood stars are into The Secret. For those of you who haven’t heard of The Secret, it is pertaining to the” law of attraction.” The idea is whatever your thoughts are or mind meditates on you will attract that to you. You just have to desire it fully and picture yourself having it and feel yourself enjoying it fully and it will come to you. Though this idea sounds very attractive (no pun intended) there are a few major glitches in the idea of The Secret.
According to the Vedas, this idea is partially true depending on the time, place and circumstance and of course ones karma. (Reaction to one previous activity) The result also depends if one is working with the material energy or the spiritual energy of The Creator.
It is a bit childish to think that all one has to do is think of something they want and eventually it will manifest. Chances are that if one wants something bad enough, they will do what is necessary to attract that to them. There are also chances that one may not have to do much of anything and that thing or person will also manifest. But there is just as much of a chance that nothing will come of it at all. It is really all up providence and karma if one is to receive something. That is why this process works for many, but it also doesn’t work for many. Those whom it does work for will just tell the ones that it did not work for that they didn’t focus properly or hard enough or long enough or fully feel themselves having that thing. The fact is it could be lifetimes until you are qualified to get that thing which you desire so deeply for. Don’t be fooled by this Childs play of The Secret.
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