Keys to New Year's Declarations

You know the old story. January 1st – you plan on losing weight, starting to exercise, write a book, learn a language, start a business and conquer the world.

Come January 14th, you have cut it down to 2 things.

Come January 18th, all is lost. . . until next New Year’s Day. Then, THAT will be the year.

Sound familiar?

Every year, January brings renewed optimism for a better life, a fresh start which gives us a chance to reinvent our lives and ourselves. To allow the butterfly to finally escape the cocoon.

You already know the start and stop method, so to speak. Time to learn a new way for a new year for a New You. Here are some thoughts to assist you:

1. Release the common, the familiar and the tired habits of the past.
Observe how Nature works. Leaves turn brown, fall off and give rise to new, luscious, new green ones. The tree does not hold on to the old, justifying its grip with cliques such as “It’s just the way it is.”

Nor should we.

Release that which is not working. Dare to be new. Clean your closets, literally and figuratively. Release that which is not working for you and look to add new patterns which will add to your life. Not disciplined? Not organized or motivated? Nonsense. These are just stories you have told yourself over the years.

Time to throw out the old book and start with fresh new pages. What skills or abilities to you wish to cultivate? Slowly practice becoming the disciplined, organized, motivated individual which is already inside of you, craving to come out.

2. Prioritize and Be Present.
You do not need to answer every single deep meaning question at the beginning of this year. You do not need to plan every detail for 1001 projects, attempting to follow through with military precision.

Be present. What do you want . . . now? That is the only question that matters. Once the inspired answer is found, take action now. You may be very surprised at the amazing results.

3. Make Happiness a Must.
Happiness is not some byproduct of a goal achieved, or when you’ve attained a certain accomplishment or certain amount of income or career advancement. Happiness is not a destination, not a future event or experience “out there.”

Happiness is an easily accessible choice right now. Waiting until the right moment ensures it will never arrive. Happiness is a choice, a habit. When you launch a new project with Happiness as your choice, your new best friend, miracles happen.

4. Find the Best Version of Yourself. Then Find a Better One.
Each day is a new start. Find the best version of yourself. Then, do something bold, daring, unusual. Run a marathon, take a long hike or paint a portrait, even if you think you cannot paint at all. Do something outside the norm, for in the process of stepping outside your common grounds, you will find previously undiscovered skills, talents and abilities.

You will find a new version of yourself, one that will make you and others smile. One that will make a significant difference.

5. Include Others.
Sometimes, others need a little nudge or a giant push. Sometimes a loving hand. Include someone else in your journey. Bring them along for the ride and allow your example to help another. It is one of the most rewarding feelings on the planet.

Overall, start 2012 by throwing away your To Do List or New Year’s Resolutions. They are probably the same ones you attempted the year before. And the year before that.

Start anew, with a new approach and ensuing new results. You don’t have to change the world. Just make your world exactly the way you want it.

By doing so, you won’t just add a year to your life. You will add life to this year.