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A New Year’s Resolution
(Worth Keeping)
As we begin the New Year, we often make resolutions to take better care of ourselves. Yet when it comes right down to it, we do not usually commit for very long (if at all), or end up not following through with our resolution(s). Have you ever wondered why we do not follow through with our commitment(s)? What I find in my private practice with clients is that the mind will create reasons why we should not do something or limit our possibility. Moreover, the reasons are very logical to us, which is why we begin to listen to them and then we get steered off course from our intention. Things like: I do not have enough time, this is too hard or this is not working. Once we begin to listen to these unfounded reasons then we’re lost and we will quit.
How many times in your life did you set a goal, have a dream or make a resolution and never even get started because of thoughts like these? For me they are countless and I am sure I am not the only person who feels this way.
There is a key to this mystery. It begins by listening and paying attention to our thoughts. Oh yes, I know this is not necessarily simple at first and for some it is downright hard. Have you ever tried to sit on the couch for a few minutes and not have any thoughts? Or tried to sit quietly without the TV, radio or book in hand and just be still? This may sound simple but try it and see what happens.
We have thousands of thoughts every day. They say 90% of these thoughts we had the day before. Most of those we do not hear consciously. Can you imagine the effect of having the same thought repeatedly without even hearing it? No wonder Prozac has mushroomed into a 12 billon dollar business. (Source: The New York Times Date: 30 June 2002)
Well, here is a resolution you can really sink your teeth into. Listen carefully to your inner thoughts, no matter how small or insignificant you may judge them to be. What’s the alternative, to continue to live the way we do and not even try? I don’t know about you but I cannot live that way anymore. Believe me: my life has taken me down some rough roads and each one of these roads has taught me a lesson or two. The great thing about life is that we can learn from wherever we’ve been, enjoy where we are now and create a life that’s even greater than we could have imagined. And all this starts in the moment.
So if your uncontrolled thoughts continue to guide you down the back trails of life and you refuse to step onto the main road, then life will become unmanageable. You will end up feeling tired, sick, overweight, drinking too much, eating too much, shopping too much and the list goes on and on. We all deal with it on some level. So let’s admit it, forgive ourselves and move on. Life is too short to be stuck for very long in one place. Change is constant and we need to recognize this. Beginning to listen to our uncontrolled or out of control thought patterns is a great start to putting yourself back on the main road. So are you ready to commit? Are you ready to make a resolution this year and follow through? Are you ready to change your life forever? I hope you are ready to say YES to my challenge because the time is now and now is the time to take action. Don’t let your thoughts talk you out of what your intuition and heart are telling you is best. Change your thoughts, change your life. Make a resolution to begin to pay attention to your thoughts and change them to support the life you deserve and want. Happiness is your birthright!
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