No Limits |
The Freedom Blog™
No
Resolutions
Written
by Steven Griggs | stevengriggs.com
"It is always during a passing state of mind that we make lasting resolutions"
Marcel Proust
“Every man should be born again on the first day of January. Start with a fresh page…… let every man gird himself once more, with his face to the front, and take no interest in the things that were and are past.”
Henry
Ward Beecher
This year resolve to make no
resolutions.
Just don’t go there.
For most a resolution is a wish or
a desire to change something- quitting smoking, exercising more, doing more of
this or less of that.
But it’s
a statistical fact that by the end of the 2nd week of the New Year 33% of the
resolutions that were made have already fallen by the wayside. By the end of
the year 88% have been given up.
All that really happens is that you
reinforce to yourself that you are unable to keep your commitments. You
temporarily assuage your guilt or frustration with your current situation by making a
promise to take action. Underneath your promise you know you won’t
complete your commitment but just agreeing to it is almost good enough.
In a way it’s like buying a self-help
book, you never really read it but it feels good just having it on your book
shelf. You plan on reading it someday
but in the meantime just knowing that the knowledge is there waiting somehow
comforts you.
What about New Year’s
resolutions?
I think the New Year allows us a
chance to reboot, to create a starting point for change or milestone to measure
new progress from.
That is all good. The problem is
in the way we approach it.
You may know from previous posts
that I don’t believe in committing to anything unless you are really ready. In fact, I believe you need
to reinforce your word by committing to the current action, whether it be
eating junk food, eating too much candy, whatever. Don’t undermine yourself by
promising to do something just because it sounds good. You are just fooling yourself and that's actually embarrassing if you think about it.....
Instead, commit to continue what it is you are doing but
at the same time promise yourself that when the time is right and you are ready you will make the
commitment to change or modify that particular action.
By keeping your word you
start to rebuild your integrity with
yourself. When the time is right you will be a little stronger and more committed.
The first step in learning to understand
one’s self and begin the process of self-actualization starts with understanding
how you have been operating. How you manage your life.
To do that you need to become more
aware. To become more aware of everything that
is going on inside and outside of you.
So this New Year’s eve instead of making
a promise you won’t keep, agree with yourself that from now on you will become
more of an observer, a watcher.
This isn't a promise or a
commitment but simply an agreement to shift into a slightly more observant place.
Just watch. Silently.
I guarantee you can do it and as
you do so you will see more and understand more.
It’s really part of our basic
nature to be observant and watch. It is how we survived as a species for
millions of years. This ability is hard wired into us.
So start the New Year with no
resolutions. Just agree that from now on you will simply watch more. And maybe
talk a little less….
You will be rewarded with more
understanding of yourself and your world. This opens you up to changing and expanding who you are, to becoming more powerful and more free.
This January 1st could mark the
beginning of the new you.
