Happy New Year! I thought we could look together at the power of New Years resolutions. It's true that resolutions allow you to set a high bar for yourself, offering a new way to achieve a greater you in a potentially whole new way, yet so many of us don't make them. And, when we do, we don't stick to them!
According to Discover Healthy Habits, only 41% of Americans make a resolution for the new year; and of those, the statistics whittle down pretty quickly! In fact, after 1 week only 75% are still successful in keeping it. After two weeks, the number drops to 71%. After 1 month, the number drops again to 64%. And after 6 months, 46% of people who make a resolution are still successful in keeping it. And, by the end of the year? Only 9% are successful in keeping them.
Does this make you want to make resolutions or not so much? I believe I will, and I say don’t ever give up striving to be your best you; and if a New Year’s resolution will help you focus yourself towards those ‘best self’ goals, then by all means go for it! Make a resolution and go for it! Who knows, you might end up being in that 9%, and here’s a true statistic for you – I have 100% faith in you!
In case you'd like to know, here are some of mine!
A Handful of My Resolutions for 2022
1. DEATH & TODAY:
To remember that the way I live today affects the quality of my tomorrows ... so I choose to live everyday AS IF this is the only day that really matters.
Hard truth - no day is guaranteed; and as the Tibetan monks believe, we need to acknowledge our own mortality every morning. In fact, that is a critical component of every morning routine that they have. Even Indian philosopher and guru Sadhguru said that so many people did not wake up this morning, and to think that we'll wake up everyday isn't a reality. So, take nothing for granted – and thus for today, I will plan to feel joy, wellness, love, and work towards the accomplishment towards my goals in view of tomorrow actually (and hopefully!) coming my way.
2. LITTLE THINGS
Remember in the busy-ness of life to take time for the little things, and with the people around you. Because they really are not the little things, they are actually the things that we will remember and that will make a difference in our own happiness as well as others. So, make sure you savor the moments and carve a few seemingly unimportant moments to connect.
3. FIND BALANCE & SELF-CARE
Self-care is the key to this. So many of us run ourselves ragged, and we have to remember that there's a cost to that – our health. So make sure you factor in time everyday to recharge and restore – rest and relax. I meditate daily and start the mornings with some visualization work of how I want the day to go, or how I want the month to go. This morning, I did an exercise to give me vision and clarity of what I want to happen. I allowed myself to tap into what my future self would be writing, and I wanted to know what I would have accomplished if it were a year ahead. So, I wrote a journal entry from my future – from January, 2023, and allowed myself to reflect on everything that I had accomplished in 2022. What things would I have wanted to have done? What would have made the difference in my life – and in others? I got into a zone and wrote about the things (from 2022) that I viewed that had been markers for me in both my career and personal life. I didn't fill in all of the blanks, but I did hit the main points that I would have liked to achieve in 2022. It was a wonderful exercise to go through, and now I feel that my roadmap lies ahead of me more clearly of what it is that I must and want to accomplish. I did this last year, too, as I had felt that I would be going through a transformation of sorts – and I did. I went through a huge transformation and grew a great deal both personally and professionally, and I plan to again this year make more of my personal and professional dreams come true.
The self-care will be daily meditation, prioritizing my health & wellness – via healthy food choices, drinking more water, and lifting weights, organization of my home and creating a creatively inspiring environment, planning more fun in my life, establishing better friendships, and cultivating a rich romantic relationship. Speaking of ...
4. RICH RELATIONSHIPS
Be the kind of partner - in business and in life - that I want for myself. You get what you give, and the more you give of yourself and be the best partner in business and with relationships, the better quality relationships, trust and connection you'll have – as well as satisfaction and happiness. You'll feel so much richer in spirit – and potentially your bank account! In a personal romantic relationship, I will remember that each person doesn't give 50% to make 100%. Each person must give 100% of themselves, in order to create a relationship of the highest level. Don't give less of yourself – give your all across the board to create the depth and substance of each relationship.
5. HAVE COMPASSION & GET RID OF JUDGMENT
Remember that most people are doing the best that they can. Give people grace, compassion and understanding. Check your judgment at the door. No one needs it, wants it, and you're the one who ends up being the lesser person. Doesn't mean you have to agree with someone else, but just don't heap on judgment. We never know what it is like to be in someone else's shoes, and we never know what someone else is going through within their own mind or life. When you have the attitude that is more open and softer towards someone else, you'll get further in life, and you'll make the world a better place. Plus this applies to yourself - and I think we all need to remember to be gentle on ourselves at times. Motivation with drive is fantastic, but never shame or blame yourself unnecessarily. Learn from things, don't judge or blame. This underscores your ability to succeed in life, and demeaning yourself does no good. So, love yourself, and give love and compassion to others.
Ok, I'll stop here as these are probably my top 5, and I actually used this blog to remind myself of everything that I am sharing here. I have to remember all of these myself – daily, and I am working on each of these myself. Some days will be harder than others, but I plan to actually revisit this from time to time to help guide me! I hope you'll share with me some of your own resolutions, below, or in my email… wellness@farmstarliving.com.
And, for today and everyday this year, don't forget to #LiveGrounded! Happy New Year!
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