Making My Year

The year is coming to an end, and this is the month where I usually take a moment to look back, reflect, and count what I have “accomplished” in a span of a year. This is when I begin writing a new list of resolutions.

Like many of us, every year, I would make a list of 20-30 things I wanted to achieve, but I would never even start or finish half of them. But, this upcoming year is going to be different.

In the past, I always knew what I wanted, but I never carefully planned out the steps to actually achieve things. Sometimes, I would even plan and filter out certain steps because I wanted to shorten the time it would take to achieve my goals. I looked for the quick fix, whether it was the excess weight I wanted to lose or the relationship I had with myself.

Small goals are what cultivate the bigger successes. I know what I would like to accomplish, and have mapped out a plan on how I am going to accomplish these goals in the upcoming year. I know 2014 is going to be a tough one but I must remember that because of my experiences in 2013, I am stronger than I have ever been and I am able to finally allow myself to make my life and future happen for me and not just to me. I am ready to move forward, to truly begin embracing my life and discover what the world has to offer and give. I am ready to be an active participant in my life and not just the passive spectator.

The trick is not to change everything at once because it will get overwhelming. It is tough to break old patterns and habits, which is why the most promising changes happen gradually over time. It is the small changes that are slowly worked into our current circumstances, to trick the mind into a healthy transition to our goal. We must slowly introduce what we would like to change so the mind can get to know it, become familiar with it, be-friend it and recognize it. It will bring allowance for our goal to happen without falling into panic mode or stirring up the defense mechanisms that bring us back into our comfort zone.

The thing about New Year’s resolutions is this: they are not a final destination we can choose to directly fly to like a vacation. They require small changes, small goals, patience, persistence, personal effort and positive belief. They are end goals that offer life changing journeys for us to explore and discover ourselves. The process can be intrinsically good if we are willing to cooperate with its opportunities and possibilities.

But what happens when we break these resolutions after a short period of time? Don’t panic! Always be prepared for struggle and failure because they will become your buddies. Treasure them because they are the source for learning, understanding and growing. There are 365 days in a year. If we screw up 20 of those days, that is only a tiny fraction of the year! If we screw up 6 months, we still have the other half of the year to try!

Don’t wait until next year to pursue your goals, to reset your mind and re-start your journey again. The power of change is within ourselves and can only happen with ourselves. The power of change is our mind in the presence of the NOW.