I have always loved the beginning of a new year.
Like thousands of Americans, I spent many a New Year’s Day carefully planning out my life and writing resolutions for what I hoped to accomplish in the coming year.
Also like thousands of Americans, I watched in despair as my hopes and dreams faded away within the first few months.
Finally, just a couple of years ago, I learned the reason why Resolutions Always Fail!
For years, I had the process backwards.
I started with my goals and action steps, without having a clear vision of where I was headed.
I focused on external actions, without aligning my internal thoughts and beliefs.
My resolutions were not specific and measurable, and there was no accountability if I did not follow through.
That is when I started the practice of making Revolutionary Resolutions.
What is a Revolutionary Resolution?
A revolutionary resolution is not a goal; it is a process. You can make your revolutionary resolutions…promises to yourself that you will actually keep…in four easy steps.
First step: visualization
It starts with your imagination. Visualize how you want your life to be in 2013. Imagine in vivid detail what your day will look and feel like.
What will you be doing?
Where will you be?
Who will be with you?
What will you be creating?
How will you look?
How will all of that make you feel?
Make it vivid, make it juicy, make it so real that you believe it is actually happening.
Then write it down, record the words, illustrate with pictures and photos…and look at it every single day until it becomes a part of you.
Next up: aligning beliefs
In your vision, let’s say you are a best-selling author who wrote a book that is changing lives all over the world.
Before you start planning out your writing schedule, you’d better take the time to make sure that your subconscious beliefs are not sabotaging any chance you have of achieving that dream.
We all have inner tapes that play continuously in our subconscious mind. The words have been created by years of input from parents, teachers, and societal norms.
I call that constant inner chatter “monkey mind,” and before you can manifest your vision, you will need to find a way to replace it with more supportive ideas.
For example, when your conscious mind visualizes becoming a published author, your monkey mind may be saying:
Who do you think you are?
You are not creative enough, smart enough, talented enough to write a book.
You had better replace that foolishness and find yourself a nice, steady job.
The key to creating a revolutionary resolution is to replace those inner saboteurs with positive, affirming beliefs that support your vision.
There are many techniques for doing that…hypnosis, guided meditation, visualization and affirmations.
One that I recommend is to write out a personal mantra for the year…one that answers each and every one of your saboteurs with a positive, encouraging affirmation.
Write your mantra in the present tense, as if the statements were already a reality. Record it in your own voice, and play back the recording every morning and every night.
Create a beautiful representation of your mantra, and read it out loud every time you catch yourself entertaining a negative belief.
After awhile, your positive new beliefs will replace the out-dated negative ones.
The time has come to set your goals and action steps
You may have heard that the law of attraction says that what you believe you will receive.
All that is true, but there is another step.
First, you have to take action in the direction of your dream.
That is where goals and action steps come in.
Conventional wisdom is that your goals and action steps should follow the SMART formula:
- Specific
- Measurable
- Attainable
- Realistic
- Timely
Think of the goal as the end-point. For example, if you want to write a book, your goal might be submission of a completed manuscript to an agent or publisher.
The action steps are the specific steps you must take to achieve the goal. For example, your first action step might be to do some research. Then you might create your characters and a plot outline. And so on until the manuscript is complete.
It is a good idea to start with what is most attainable. For example, if you have never written a book before, you might want to take a class or join a writing group.
Once you have a step-by-step plan, all you need to do is stick to it to reach your goal.
If it is that simple, why don’t more people do it? They have forgotten one little step that can make all the difference between success and failure.
Not quite done…create consequences and accountability
No matter how much you have planned, it is not so easy to achieve a big, bold, audacious vision.
Resistance, busyness, temptations, fear…many obstacles may lie in your path.
That is why you must create consequences and accountability for your goals.
One way to do that is with self-enforced rewards and punishments.
For example, I will write one-half hour every morning this week. If I miss a day, I don’t get my mid-morning latte treat.
Another strategy is to enlist support. Find an accountability partner who will check in with you once a week to make sure you are on track. Join a master mind group, or work with a life coach.
Are you ready for a revolution?
Don’t let another year go by without creating more joy in your life. Follow this simple process and you can be on the road to the life you envision in 2013.
If you would like support for implementing this process, join us for a free teleconference.
Revolutionary Resolutions Teleconference
Wednesday, February 6th, 9:00 p.m. E.T.
Sign up below for the details. Can’t make the live call? Opt-in for access to the free recording.
