Hello all! Well since the world did not end, looks like we are moving on into the New Year!
I don’t know about you but I feel deep down that this is going to be an incredible and life changing year. Not just for me but for you too. So here we are, sitting on the great precipice of this New Year with a list of goals, dreams and aspirations in mind.
Now, before you start getting stressed, hyperventilating and stress eating . . . breathe. There is a simple way to get all of what we want out of 2013 without stressing ourselves out.
What generally happens every New Year’s Eve?
We sit down, write down a grand list of all the things we want to accomplish in the New Year. This list consists of:
*Losing weight
*Making more money
*Getting your dream job
*Getting your dream partner
*Winning the lotto
*Being on a famous talk show
and on and on it goes. But what is a crucial aspect missing out of this list or these huge resolution lists we make?
How the heck to do it all!
We tend to plan out and map out our entire year in the hopes of getting very clear on what we want.
When in fact all we are doing is really setting ourselves up for failure. A simple example to really grasp what I am saying is this question.
Which is easier?
You have not been working out or running for almost a year. You now want to start working on your fitness and get back in to shape. Which is easier?
(A) Starting out running a 5K marathon
(B) Going for a jog around the neighborhood till you build the stamina to run the whole way
Clearly, option B is easier because you are gradually making your way to the ultimate goal which is your health and fitness levels. If you start out running the marathon you will be sucking wind probably after the 1 mile mark and never want to run again. This will lead to being on the couch, burning your running shoes in the fireplace with a gallon of Bluebell on your lap because you quit and are overwhelmed.
So now that we understand how we have let our own goals sometimes be our own demise, let’s move on to how we can make a change.
Let’s imagine we are in the grocery store. We have our shopping cart in hand and we are making our way down the aisles. Are we shopping for the whole year’s worth of groceries? No, that is impossible, only for this month’s groceries.
Take your first goal or resolution, going down the first aisle (to keep up with the analogy).
Break it down and simplify it, grab just a few things off the shelves. Let’s say it is to lose 50 pounds. That can be pretty overwhelming so let’s condense that to lose at least 5 pounds every month. Now that it is broken down, let’s road map how we are going to lose this 5 pounds every month. This can range from: joining a weight loss program, going for a jog three times a week and eating out at our favorite restaurant once a month only to have a “cheat night”. Now this overwhelming goal has been broken down to something that is obtainable. Now instead of having this huge 50 pound resolution in our cart, we have a simplified version that fits nice and neat in our grocery cart. And if you do the math, by the end of the year you could lose 60+ pounds!
This can be a very stressful time of the year. Sometimes people are going over all of their failures from the year or the years before. The fact is, is that the past is in the past and we need to live in the now. Don’t beat yourself up over what happened last year, last month or even yesterday. We need to be projecting what we do want in our life not what we don’t want. We need to bring our best self forward for the New Year not our self from New Year’s Eve’s past.
What also can happen is that we let other people decide what we need in the New Year.
Let’s go back to our grocery cart. You are strolling up and down the aisles of resolutions, slowly breaking it all down and grabbing just a few things of the shelves. Now all of a sudden family, friends and random people are jamming stuff in your cart. Now, would you be buying other people’s items at the grocery store that you really didn’t want? I don’t think so! You would be throwing out items right and left and having no mercy who got hit by someones groceries
So let’s do that with our resolutions! You don’t need to be taking others advice on the change you want in your life. That will only make things more stressful, complicated and ultimately disappointing. We need to know that we are right where we need to be. We are on our divine path, things are being lined up for us and opportunities are headed our way. Let’s not get impatient and want everything to happen right at this very moment, but to rest assured that the Universe, God or your higher power has already mapped it all out.
Trust me, your higher power is not lining things up in your future, secretly snickering, “Let’s see if she can try and overcome this huge obstacle I am putting in her way.” Not at all. Your higher power is lining up all the roads to success, just waiting for you travel on to them. But you have to make the choice to step on the paths and begin your journey.
So in this New Year we need to stay focused, rejoice in our accomplishments no matter how small or large they are and enjoy our lives! Life is meant to be celebrated not to be dreaded or to even be stressed over. If we can break down our resolutions to obtainable milestones, we are going to have the best year ever.
Plan on my friends! Enjoy your celebration with family and friends! And most importantly make the choice to be happy today, tomorrow and all year-long.
Happy New Year!
~Ava
Quotes for the New:
“Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year.”
-Ralph Waldo Emerson
“Your success and happiness lies in you. Resolve to keep happy, and your joy and you shall form an invincible host against difficulties.”
-Helen Keller
Ava Wick is a contributing blogger for JenningsWire, a blogging community created by Annie Jennings.
