Now that resolution time of year is here, I recommend doing away with them. Success on New Years resolutions is horrendously low. It’s not just you, it’s me, it’s everyone. Try reflections rather than resolutions. The process is simple, identify a bunch of the things you accomplished in 2018, aim for a solid dozen. big or small, write down them all. These personal and specific accomplishments, should include moments of pride, recognition of gratitude and those endeavours which you feel were personal successes. When you spend the time writing this stuff down immediately 2 magic, life changing accomplishments occur. First, we recognize things that make us happy, and second, this list is now a specific road map to happiness. A list of things that make you feel happy, accomplished & successful means you had a glimpse of your true self & what track you should follow for the next year. Doing this allows some time for rare self examination without the influence from anyone in your life but you. It is easy to fall into a life long trajectory towards someone else’s goal. I suggest a great way to be unhappy is to attempt to live someone else’s life. Spending any time appreciating all the gifts in your life improves your perspective on the world, and perspective is reality. Why obtain anything, or accomplish anything if we don’t spend the time to acknowledge and feel gratitude for these true gifts and accomplishments. Here is a perspective/appreciation exercise that can start your mindset for gratitude. Wrap your head around this fact; if you acquire an average of 2 dollars or more per day, you acquire more than 50% of the entire world. Reality is perspective. Spending a little time improving our relationship with ourselves by identifying those things in our life which make us feel good & giving our gratitude for them, will simply improve our happiness. Every year, month & moment of life is ever changing, here, then gone, all at the same time. Gratitude and appreciation alway make the giver’s & receiver’s emotional state improve.
Having a personal list of life improving examples from 2018 written down sets up a situation where you can spend a single month attempting to recreate or improve, good times. Try monthly resolutions. Instead of having one grand yearly plan/goal you expect to accomplish & continue with for 365 days, why not try monthly resolutions which have a 90% improved success rate. Everyone has, and can, stick to a motivated change for 30 days. 365 days can seem like an Everest sized mountain to climb. The other great news is that one month, or 30 days, is just over the amount of days which it takes to break, or create, a new habit. 12 months provide 12 opportunities in 2019 to give your family, friends, and loved ones a better version of yourself. 12 reflections on happiness, success and gratitude which once down on paper, and in your head, become a road map to monthly resolutions to not only make your 2019 your best year but to make all the rest that follow, a life that delivers both happiness & fulfillment. Momentum breeds motivation in an endless repeating cycle, and every journey starts with a single step. Take this step; acknowledge the successes of your life and create you roadmap as a plan for the life you truly want. All too often we don’t plan to fail, but we fail to plan.