New Year - Time Of New Beginnings

Each year people make New Year's resolutions as a declaration of commitment to themselves to make changes in their lives. Have you wondered how effective resolutions are? Do you achieve your New Year's resolutions?

If you achieve your New Year's resolutions you are in the minority. Surveys suggest that less than one percent of New Year's resolutions are achieved. It is merely a ritual people have followed for decades. The question is, "Do you want to make changes in your life?" Making a resolution to accomplish something without a plan to achieve it is like putting gasoline into a car that doesn't have an engine.

The beginning of a new year, finishing school, leaving a job, a relationship or changing homes-are times that spark our minds to start anew. The advantage is that each event brings with it the energy of the event, creating a tide of change around us that we can ride to the next crest.

The truth of the matter is, we can choose to start anew anytime. In any moment you can decide that a difficult moment or a relationship that has gotten off on the wrong footing can be renewed. It is a mental shift that will compel you to clean the slate and approach anything with fresh eyes, and you can make that choice any time.

Starting anew is most powerful when you focus your attention on what you choose to create. Focusing your attention on the unwanted aspects of your life allows what you focus on to persist. Focus on the steps to take to create what you desire.

You need to remember to leave room in the process of a new beginning to be kind to yourself, because it takes time to become accustomed to the new, no matter why you choose it. There is no need to pressure yourself if you choose to move the process of change slower than others might think is appropriate or as fast as you would hope you could. Instead, acknowledge the forward motion and choose to keep your focus on one step at a time, knowing that with each choice you will learn, grow and move in the direction of your goal.

Just like using the energy of an event to foster change, your choice to start anew has its own energy-it is your committment you made to yourself that creates the energy. The momentum creates a vacuum behind it, pulling toward you all you need to continue moving toward your goal. Once your journey has begun, it may take unexpected twists and turns, but you will reach your intended goal, if you continue to strive for it. Like cycles of nature, there are periods of growth and periods of dormancy that signal a time of waiting for the right moment to burst forth to the next plateau. Each time you choose to start anew you dedicate yourself to being the best you can be.