It’s January 8th – do you know where your resolutions are?

It seems like only yesterday; it was New Year’s Eve. Yet, for many, it seems years ago when we try to remember our resolutions (fervently made, though they may have been.) Packing the list of resolutions in our mind’s back pocket is much like buying a lottery ticket, stuffing it in your desk drawer and never checking it. It is highly unlikely your resolutions will become manifest if you don’t think about them. Never looking at them again leads to never thinking about them. And an unchecked winning ticket in your desk drawer is worthless.

8% of people actually achieve their resolutions! 8%! Why only 8%?

While this is only conjecture, yet, it seems to be people look at resolutions as wish lists – not as resolutions. When one is resolute they are not just wishful. One who is resolute is determined in spirit, will and action. And action extends beyond just making the resolution (or should I say wish.)

Hopefully, you wrote your resolution down. Writing some down is the first physical world manifestation of the change. Second, one must periodically revisit the list. So if it is hidden in your desk drawer (next to that redeemed lottery ticket), the list has essentially been un-manifested.

In order to create change (silly though it sounds) things must change. The easiest (and only) place to begin manifesting that change is within you. Start simple. Recite the list. Now, recite it again. And, recite it again a few other times during the days ahead.

Pick the easiest of the changes you want to make part of the real world. And think of that simple change as becoming part of your real world. Ask yourself what has to change within yourself and your behavior to make that change a natural outcome of your genuine self.

What thinking has to change? What would the difference in thinking be?

What feelings would be different? How would they be different?
What behaviors would be different? And how would they be different?

Now, if your resolution was to run a marathon, you would obviously have to break that goal down into many smaller bite sized (or should I say walk-around-the-block sized pieces.) Start slow and start easy and don’t worry about manifesting the ultimate goal – visulaize the change, manifest the steps along the way and morph into the resolution, one step at a time.

And remember:  there are only 351 days of Christmas shopping remaining – and then we do this again. Be resolute. Grow into the new year next as you were hoping to last Wedneday eve.