Bring your best self to light

January 2009 

Hi

I hope you are well...and already enjoying 2009. I want to write a little today about New Year's resolutions...there's always the vibe that you have probably broken them by now (I know that I've already broken one of my resolutions twice this month...LOL. That's the one to not eat after 7.30pm unless hungry). I'm resolving to stick with this by focussing on the two days that I *have* kept it...knowing that if I have done it twice already...I can do it again.

But to use that quote from the website...it's the staying down, not the falling down that keeps us small so what I want to explore with you are some ways to help keep your resolutions

I have what Martha Beck calls a "wild child" that makes me mutiny against *having" to do something...even if it's Good For Me! So sometimes I explore the idea of sneaking up on the resolutions, sort of making it easier for myself rather than using bare willpower...which is frankly not really sustainable in the long run

 

What I thought would be interesting would be to share some rather left of centre, wacky ideas to help trick ourselves to keep our 2009 resolutions...the idea is to focus on a habit that will help generate our desired result.

Most of us have a good idea where our weak spots are...so why not explore the idea of developing a alternative habit ...and justify it to your wild child with a reason (see examples in brackets) .

I also like the idea of marking on a calendar how many days you DO actually keep your habits..

 

Old resolutions	Sneaky way - new habit
Lose weight   - join a gym, join Weight Watchers, go on a diet, give up chocolate	No eating after 8pm (most of the time) No eating while watching TV (or doing anything else) Clear the fridge of the really tempting stuff (good for the family) One day eat so much chocolate that YOU ARE SICK OF IT! (That's to get rid of the 4 boxes of Roses so that other people won't eat them)
Exercise more  : Join a gym, walk to work	Join a dance class (means I can dance at a wedding) Meet a friend and go for a walk twice a week (it's really for her) Walk to work (I'm exercising and saving money!)
Give up smoking: willpower, patches,	I'll do it with a friend (we'll keep each other strong) Start to hang out with non-smokers...(yes, I know they will seem boring in the beginning..but us non-smokers are not so bad...really)
Stop procrastinating (must stop procrastinating... must stop procrastining...will think about that tomorrow!)	Ask yourself if this thing you are procrastinating about is what you actually want or are you shoulding on yourself?: Break every apparently HUGE task into 5 minute microsteps and then just do that.. Procrastinate about washing yourself, eating, going to work, (This will help with my diet and give me more time!)
Find a new job/career (look in the ads, phone a recruitment agency)	Begin to focus on what I like about my current job (LOA says that what you focus on increases!) Begin to allow myself to fantasise about my dream job.. Join the Now What programme in January with Anne !   (no excuses...will be sending out more information about that in the coming week or so!)
Have more time (learn time management)	Get support - join a forum, join a group (Cheryl Richardson has some great Life Make over groups). Get a coach! Start saying NO to everything that doesn't feel great - practise saying it until it feels comfortable to say it. Watch a 2 year old...they'll show you how it's done! Explore part-time working Explore ways to use commuting time creatively...you could probably learn a language over the year if you commuted a lot! Schedule in and commit to (time to yourself)
Get your finances sorted (Swear you will not spend money on anything frivolous EVER AGAIN!)	Ask for help - get a friend who is money-savvy BUT NON-JUDGEMENTAL to help you Just get the paperwork out Set up a simple savings plan (5-10 a week) Download my Master Your Money e-book (only $27 for January only - a clear simple practical system to get you back on track financially...and I KNOW what it's like to be in debt and feel overwhelmed by money stuff..)

So what are my plans for 2009? Well I really want to get clear about my "personal brand" and how best to serve my target market. So I've got quite a few projects in the pipeline..including a class on environments (physical, virtual and mental surroundings) with Karen Vizer, continuing to work with Karen on bringing consciousness shifting to the world and workshops on

(I will be sending out more information on those over the coming weeks...) . I'm also intending to do more creative things in my life and to honour my sensitivity (if the sensitivity piece rings a bell with you...google for "highly sensitive person" a

 

And of course, always seeking to let you know about resources that can help YOU bring your best self to light.

 

As always,

 

Take good care of yourself...

Anne