Beth's Ponderings
Here we are at the
middle of January - the time when most New Year’s resolutions have completely
fallen by the wayside - if you are the type who makes resolutions.
One reason so many
people find it hard to follow through with resolutions is because they say they
want to change, but they don’t really want to change anything in their life to
make that resolution change possible.
In order to make
change happen, and stick, we need to create a structure for it to occur. A structure that doesn't overwhelm us and
makes things easier, such as toggling a new habit onto an existing habit. If you always do a specific routine in the
morning, maybe you can add one small tweak that helps you create the new change
that you desire.
Also, resolutions
are all fine and dandy but there isn't usually any emotion or energy attached
to them (unless it’s fear). An intention
to do something, on the other hand, usually has strong emotion and energy
behind it, and is more likely to propel you forward, especially if you have it
written down somewhere where you can see it on a daily basis.
And while sometimes
it seems like we need to completely overhaul our lives, if we really want to
create lasting change, it has to happen in small tiny baby steps. Otherwise, our brains will freak out and keep
us firmly entrenched in whatever patterns we want to change.
Another downfall
with resolutions is that we treat them like a one-time event and that’s it till
next January 1st. That leads to a well-I-blew-it-this-time-so-there’s-no-point-trying-again-till-next-year
attitude. We are all given a brand new 24
hours each day in which we can begin anew with whatever change we want to make
in our lives. And, changes made at other
times in year (ie not at New Year’s) tend to be more effective and lasting.
Finally, one of the
best ways to create change in your life is not to consciously get rid of
whatever you don’t want, but rather to bring in more of what you do want. As more of what you want comes in, what you
don’t want just naturally falls away.
Beth
Read the complete issue of The Chautauqua here: https://sites.google.com/site/thechautauqua27/home/January%2017%2C%202020%20Chautauqua.pdf?attredirects=0&d=1
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