Work From Within - Newsletter

End of 2006 - Bonus Newsletter

Reap Rich Rewards in 2007: Invest in Yourself in the New Year

The year 2007 is just days away. If you're like me, you start thinking, "Oh, no. I know I'm supposed to set resolutions, but then, sooner than I'd like, I'm not fulfilling them. So what's the point of making them in the first place?!?

I know, I know. New Years resolutions scare some of us, because we feel we've fallen down on them in the past. The word "resolution" comes from the Latin resolutionem which is "a breaking into parts." I don't know about you, but I have a hard time breaking some projects into their parts. This is especially true when I'm working on something really new to me. You know, the kind of project where you don't know all of the steps in advance, and you're still looking for an expert to help you.

Rather than teach you yet another way to break your resolutions into parts, or manage them like any other project, I want to offer you a gift -- a chance to look at four actions you can take to make your resolutions more enjoyable and to reduce barriers to their completion.

(1) Feel the Energy: Too often, we write resolutions that don't go anywhere. They're so flat, dull, boring. They don't motivate us. Instead, they obligate us. Perhaps part of that comes from our American puritanical work ethic that tells us we're doomed to hard work. That's just a belief. It doesn't have to be true. Here's a better way to write your New Years resolutions...

When you set your New Years resolutions, let yourself have a good time. Instead of writing, "I'll go running three times a week," do two things. First, write the resolution as though it is already happening. It is! By creating the intention, you have already set energy in motion, so that you make it more likely. So, that might translate to "In 2007, I run three times a week." Second, vividly visualize yourself doing the activity. Imagine you've already achieved the resolution. How do you feel -- emotionally and physically? How do you treat yourself when you've achieved this goal? How do you imagine yourself saying to others about your accomplishment? Now, write your resolution at the top of the paper and then below it, write a descriptor of how it feels.

For example, you might write something positive like:

"I am excited to be running three times a week, for 30 to 45 minutes a session."

Then, bring in the emotional component, the fuel that helps make this real and desireable. Add your description of how it feels to actually make your resolution real: "I feel the adrenaline coursing through my veins. I am exhilarated as my lungs fill with air, as my feet pound the pavement, as I move ahead. My body is lean and healthy. Running energizes me, gives me the time to think. It's my moving meditation. I'm glad to make it a vital part of my life throughout 2007."

I encourage you to write resolutions for:

your health
your family and friends
your romance/relationship
your personal growth
your fun and recreation
your physical environment
your livelihood
your financial well-being

Once you've written the resolution in an energizing, engaging way, let's look at how you can invest your life energy to ensure you give it the time it deserves. Our resolutions are investments. Let's look at three steps you can take to growing the investment in your future -- in other words, three ways to look at the time you have and see how you can leverage it to accomplish what you desire. Here are three questions you can ask yourself -- and use the answers to make important changes that can help you to have more of what you want in 2007.

(2) Ask yourself: What can I STOP doing? In other words, what are the activities that cause me to leak my time? Consider where you are using your time or your money in ways that are out of alignment with your intentions. When you regain that time, you'll be able to invest more of it in achieving your goals for 2007.

Here are some common time leaks...

Checking email frequently. Instead, check email just twice a day. Once at the beginning and once at the end.
Watching television. The average American watches the equivalent of six full days a month watching TV. Yikes! Think about what you watch -- is it adding to your life energy, or draining it? For ideas on turning off your TV, go to TV Turnoff Network.
Driving on single-purpose trips. In other words, you drive from home to the supermarket, then back home. You drive from home to the drug store later. You get the picture. This wastes time. Save up your non-urgent errands and do a string of activities all at once. And, use public transit -- you can often read or do something else productive, and you're helping reduce pollution.

What else can you, personally, stop doing that will free up time for you?

(3) Ask yourself: What can I START doing? Review your New Years intentions, and look at what activities, especially small ones, you can start doing now that will help you create momentum towards your goal. What will energize and leverage your time so that you can get what you want? Let's explore this more...

If we look, again, at the goal of running three times a week, you can start waking up 30 minutes earlier to allow time for a run. Perhaps that goal's too big all at once. Start with one day a week. Or start by ordering a new pair of running shoes.

The idea is to consider what you want to add to your day. Usually, this involves going back and considering where else you can stop doing something that's giving you a low return on your life energy.

(4) Ask yourself: What can I CONTINUE doing? Some things you are doing right now may be just perfect in terms of leveraging your life energy to help you achieve your New Years resolutions. You'll want to continue them. This is a great time of year to acknowledge yourself for what you've been doing that works. Here's an activity that can help you feel great about yourself and help you reap the rewards you want in 2007...

In your mind, review the year 2006. Make a list of all the highlights, achievements, and accomplishments of the year -- no matter how small or insignificant you may think they are. Then, review this first list and notice all the things you are good at…your skills, talents and abilities. Create an inventory of all the personal assets that are yours. You've acquired these through life experience, education and work experience. These are permanent assets, intangibles that are invaluable -- and yours! Look over this second list and see which skills, talents, abilities -- and even rituals and practices -- you want to continue leveraging in 2007, to achieve what you truly want for the year.

Use all of these suggestions to create a prosperous, rewarding 2007!

Wishing you well,

Susan