Ringing in the New Year with a plethora of resolutions is a well-known aspect of this annual celebration. The will to adhere to them is always strong in the new year’s first days, but come the second week in January, the desire to change has gone as if they were visiting family members.
For most, the stark reality about their New Year’s resolutions sets in when they realize they don’t have the will to change their habits. The resolutions they committed to were nothing more than an exercise in dreaming. The hope for a new beginning disappears along with their holiday cheer.
There is nothing wrong with making resolutions. Go ahead, set goals to get better educated, fitter or lose weight. Perhaps your resolutions implore you to quit a boring job or leave an abusive relationship. I believe this desire for new beginnings comes from your Higher Self urging you to become better. But the reason we fail is that we assume that we will find happiness or fulfillment by changing our external conditions. True character transformation does not happen that way, it is an inside job.
We must choose to change from within before we can transform our world
Doctor Wayne Dwyer outlines how we do this in the following quote;
“When we change the way we look at things, the things we look at begin to change.”
Note that Dwyer’s pearl of wisdom suggests that we must act from our own free will to view things in a different light. The external does not change until we make the change from within; it is never the other way around.
Dr. Christine Bradstreet, transformation coach, inspirational author, certified NLP practitioner puts this human possibility more simply by the title of her publication, Change Your Mind Change Your Life.
Your thoughts have power
The good news about being different in this new year is that you can choose to bring the best version of yourself. You can choose the right perspective. I have chosen to show up as the most loving and kindest person I can be. I am doing so in five different ways;
1) The way I view the world. I choose to view the world as a wonderful place where love, kindness and generosity are far more abundant than the violence and terror we hear about every day. I will not let the negative sources and fear mongers scare me into tuning into their way of thinking so I will tune in or buy their products. The world is filled with many opportunities for each one of us to learn and evolve, I will not let the negative path of others deter me from the principled and caring path I must take. Each person is learning and evolving, but we are all at different stages of development, and I will not let those who are learning through hate, violence and revenge define the nature of people for me.
2) The way I look at others. The love and generosity I am surrounded by astounds me. It comes from people like the delivery driver, the waitress at the breakfast café or my boss. The fact is that, when I choose to see it, their goodness shows. Everyone on earth is just like me, traveling on a journey of self-discovery. They are not trying to harm me; they are learning from their experiences. I choose to consider them as I consider myself, kind persons trying to figure things out. They will also be the teachers the Universe sends me.
3) The way I perceive the trials in my life. For the largest portion of my life, I viewed my times of sufferings the merit badges earned by my failings. No more, for I am aware how their hot fire pounded my character into shape. I elect to consider my times of suffering as opportunities to learn valuable lessons that will transform me. In this way, I can grow in consciousness and become a greater vessel to help create a greater good.
4) The way I see myself. No longer will I consider myself a flawed creation whom is not good enough nor worthy of the love of others. This was a lie that others pounded into me thinking this was helpful. I chose to see myself as a treasure; a talented person worthy of love. It is understandable not all will be aware of me in this way, but I am fine with that, for I know I was not meant for them nor they for me. I will surround myself with those who recognize my true value and support me in becoming the best that I can be; I will do the same for them. By all means, I will work stay fit and keep a good weight, but I will do it knowing it enhances the gem I am.
5) The way I see the Universe/God/Higher Power. No longer will I see God as an old guy up there somewhere who punishes the wicked while simultaneously helps Tom Brady of the New England Patriots win six Super Bowls. I choose to believe the Universe is a loving consciousness that urges us all to learn and evolve. It is a part of each one of us and is always ready to support us in our goals to become our highest selves and has equipped us with everything we need to handle all the challenges that come our way.
This is the person I choose to show up as in 2020. How about you? How will you transform the world?
Remember, paying gratitude for your life forward will reward you with a great deal of joy and contentment.
Photo by Sebastian Davenport-Handley on Unsplash
