2019 has arrived and many resolutions made at the beginning of the year are beginning to fade already. Only 5% of resolutions are fulfilled by the end of each year. Is this because we really don’t want what we set out in our resolution? I don’t think so. The most common reasons are: a. the goals are unrealistic, and b. the motivation dissolves quickly. Here is a way to rethink the whole process of making a New Year’s Resolution.
Instead of setting a goal, acknowledge your desire, set a vision for the future, and the recognize the motivation behind the desire. For example, the two most common goals are to lose weight or to get out of debt.
The desire to lose weight is not to be 20 pounds lighter. We actually want to feel better, look more attractive, have more energy, fit into prettier clothes, play on the beach in a great bathing suit and be sexier to our partner.
The goal to be free of debt is to relieve stress and anxiety over money, stop creditor harassment, and get relief from the additional costs of interest and penalties. We desire to have money to purchase what we want and need, to have the freedom to play, to buy presents on special occasions, perhaps to buy a home, travel or change jobs.
In order to fulfill our desire, we need to change our life, not set a goal. We need to have a vision of the person who lives in a slim body or one with money to spare. Then we can take the steps to fulfill that vision. With the vision of our slim, prosperous self, we then move forward daily to fulfill this destiny.
Here are some recommendations to follow:
1. Write out your vision and get a picture that shows how you will look and feel when your vision is true.
2. Decide the actions to take to change your life to create your vision e.g. join a weight loss plan; create a budget; find an advisor to help; create a support system.
“Life will always be to a large extent what we ourselves make it.” – Samuel Smiles. 
3. Do a mindfulness meditation daily and hold your vision in your heart.
Meditation not only lowers stress and anxiety, it also creates a chemical change in the brain. It creates new neural pathways to the vision you hold.
4. Before you sleep, reinforce your desire by reading your vision, looking at your picture and affirming your desire. This allows your unconscious mind to support your vision during sleep.
5. Surround yourself with people supporting your new life purpose. Eliminate the negative ones that tempt you to break your resolve to re-form your life.
6. Be grateful for every improvement on the path to the new you. Every day you eliminate a calorie, turn down a desert, or save a dollar, celebrate that your life is re-forming in the new vision.
7. Be kind to yourself. If you make a mistake, acknowledge your humanness, and get back on track. No one is perfect but the plan is still effective if you get back to it.
8. Ask the Divine for wholeness and health, prosperity and abundance. The Universe loves you and wants you to succeed in your highest desires.
Take your New Year’s Resolutions and reformat them. Envision your heart’s desire of a life you want, and the path you follow will lead to success.
Blessings for a Healthy, Happy, Prosperous, and Loving New Year,
Ariann
