Selasa, 03 Januari 2012

Going Beyond New Year Resolutions

By Usiere Uko

As each year draws to a close, it is customary for folks to enter the New Year with a fresh set of New Year Resolutions. We make a list of things we want to stop doing and those we want to start doing. New Year resolutions have become the butt of jokes because most resolutions do not go the distance. Most folks slip back to status quo in less than two months into the New Year. It seems they do not have what it takes to go the distance.
That is exactly the point. Most New Year resolutions fall beyond the realm of our current capabilities. To perform at that level, you need a new you. The old you have taken you as far as it could take you. To proceed further, you need to upgrade. The focus and effort should be on the new you rather than improved performance which comes naturally as an outflow of the new you. For instance, if you are a smoker desiring to stop smoking, the best area to focus your energies is creating an identity as a non smoker. By the time you become a non smoker, stopping smoking comes naturally as a consequence of being a non smoker. The change occurs from the inside out and not from outside in.
The typical approach is to attempt to stop smoking as a smoker. While you may succeed temporarily, your identity as a smoker pulls you back to the habit you are trying to break away from. If you try to lose weight as a fat person, you are facing an uphill task. When, you see yourself as a slim person, soon you start eating and exercising in alignment with that image. Becoming slim on the outside becomes only a matter of time.
Everything is created twice. The first creation is a mental one, in the realm of the imagination. If you cannot see it, you cannot have it. Trying to have without first seeing it is like trying to build without a blueprint. You will be all over the place and will soon give up in frustration. For a New Year resolution to translate to a concrete goal and ultimately an achievement, you have to invest in your personal growth and development so that you can sustain the effort required to raise your game to the domain where your desired achievement or results lie. To attain the level of self discipline required to achieve certain tasks, you need to grow to that level.
The transition from an amateur school athlete to an Olympic medallist takes more than a mere desire to perform at that level. It involves commitment to personal development to develop the required mental toughness, physical fitness and training regimen to step up your game to the Olympic level. It requires putting together the right Team (coaches, fitness trainers, doctors, nutritionists, psychologists etc), the right exercise regimen, training schedule, enrolment in competitions, improving your performance and ultimately taking a shot at the Olympic and world records, if you are to stand a fighting chance of winning a medal. Achieving your goals is an inside job. If it does not happen on the inside, making it a New Year resolution does not help much.
If you want to go beyond the ritual of yearly New Year resolutions and actually achieve the change you desire, you have to start on the inside. Create a new you. Change your mindset, self image, dismantle self imposed limitations, create a new identity, self image, beliefs and paradigm before you attempt to step into a brand new day. You have to see it first before you attempt to reach out for it. Become an athlete, a writer, a speaker, a non smoker, a slim person, a mountaineer, whatever it is you want to achieve before you attempt the doing. If you truly become who you want to be on the inside, the doing part flows naturally. The secret to a Happy New Year is a Happy New You.
Usiere Uko is a writer, investor, entrepreneur and editor of http://www.financialfreedominspiration.com, an inspirational blog on investing, financial education, discovering your passion and fulfilling your God given dreams. Subscribe to Financial Freedom Inspiration Newsletter and get inspired to start your journey to financial freedom today.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6789124

Tidak ada komentar:

Posting Komentar