“Habit is habit, and not to be flung out the window by any man, but coaxed downstairs a step at a time” Mark Twain.
Starting this month 2012 if you want improve your life for good. I suggest you start of sitting down and or better yet go for a long slow walk in nature all by yourself. Take some water and a snack so you are comfortable. Stop somewhere peaceful and be alone. Reflect for a moment upon yourself and who you are what you truly represent and what you want from life.
According to Chinese medicine, there are seven emotions: joy, fright, worry, sadness, grief, fear, anger. Actions are often based on emotions. Yes we all have our demons we battle, sometimes we win, and sometimes we lose. We usually lose when we are governed by emotion, which includes giving up on our New Year’s resolutions. The way to overcome and win has often been referred to as “will power”. This concept has many names: delayed gratification, self control and Freud’s coined term of “impulse control”. People who lack the psychological trait of being able to delay gratification are said to require instant gratification and might suffer poor impulse control.
I believe that no matter what habit or trait you would like to change success begins with the right mindset. “As you think, so shall you be”. As you sit there in solitude with nature resolve to change the way you look at things. Lay out a plan and commit to it no matter how you feel in the moment. Choose free will and act upon it. You have control over your reality and you have the ability to create your world, why would you not want to maximize that and create the life you want?
This is the time of year to clarify and map out your journey. Set some goals, write them down and begin the pursuit. Once you believe and visualize your goals you are on the way to achieving them. The reality is obstacles will present themselves they always do, but so does opportunity. Learn to look for them and not at the obstacles. It is like what I use to say when I bike racing and trying to avoid a crash. “Look where you want to go and do not look where you do not want to go.” By the way it worked very well and I avoided a number of terrible crashes. This will work in your life as well.
Your mind is very powerful and intelligent and that can work for you or against you. When you set new and higher goals for yourself you are in reality asking your mind and your current belief system to change and work in a different way. In other words you are changing your mind! New Year’s resolutions are goals we set for ourselves that are usually about fixing something about ourselves. In order to fix a problem we need to look at how we got where we are now.
Start you journey in to 2012
- Mindset: Every day you can make a decision to continue on the path you’re on or to do something different. Your days, hours, and minutes are made up of all the individual decisions you make. Each decision is an opportunity to change your life for the better.
- Simplify: This is a big part of my life right now, trying to clear out all the extra physical stuff you have. Cleaning out the environment you live in and getting rid of “stuff”.
- Clarifying: Our values drive our daily actions and decisions. Spend time thinking about your values and what you truly care about, what you want to change in your life, and why you believe these things. If you’re clear on your values then set resolutions that align with them won’t be difficult.
- Think: Think of how the new belief is going to improve your life. Think of what is going to be possible. How is changing this going to influence your life in an amazing way? What is going to improve? How much more happiness, joy and fulfillment will you get if you adopt this belief?
- Now Stop thinking: Over thinking keeps us from acting.
“Your beliefs become your thoughts. Your thoughts become your words. Your words become your actions. Your actions become your habits. Your habits become your values. Your values become your destiny.”
Mahatma Gandhi