New Year’s resolutions usually fail within a very few weeks (if even that), only to follow the very next year with the same promise of change and fail again. Why does this happen? The reason why we have bad habits in the first place is because they give us comfort, like a warm blanket that shields from the cold. We start with the very best of intentions, only to give up midstream! Often we seek comfort and pleasure rather than work; however, it is obvious that worthwhile opportunities pass us by when we resist progress and change. Here is what you can do- today to get back on the right path:
Success is learned from failure
If you already failed your first attempt on keeping your resolution, well congratulations! You already learned the very first lesson on becoming successful by failing. Failure is how we learn to develop when we are children, babies do not learn to walk immediately without falling down, riding that first bike caused some skinned knees, and the process of learning how to drive a car starts with a few “fender benders”. The process of making mistakes occurs in all stages of human development; however, it is how we deal with these failures and setbacks that determine our success.
If you do what you always did, then you will have what you always had
Imagine yourself years from now doing exactly the same thing you are doing right now. Do you think that your “younger” self would want to go back in time and convince you to do whatever you need to change right at this very moment? It is possible that even now there are regrets in the past that you wish you did when you where younger that would make life better today. The process of change is not a simple process; it requires dedication to change things indefinitely and to alter the direction and purpose in your life regardless of the obstacles in your way. However the decision to change all starts and ends with you.
Practice positive “self talk” In spite of difficult times
Many people talk themselves out of potentially rewarding experiences with cop out statements like: “I’m too old to go to college” or “I don’t have enough time to exercise”, however, it is these very thought processes that define our personal success in the future. With change comes a degree of risk and self exploration that seem to present even more difficulty when you consider our present economic times. Reality is full of unexpected changes and it is up to us to either accept the change or fight against it. We part from friendships, our children make bad decisions, marriages end, and loved ones pass on- leaving us all to question our place on this earth and ponder our own mortality or sanity. However, the power of positive thinking can motivate onward through times, even if others are less than supportive of our efforts.
Be a rebel with a cause; Your Own Personal Destiny!
There is a little rebel in all of us, the desire to go against the status quo and do things in our own way. In essence we all want to leave our mark on the world to earn our place in history. Taking risks proves that we are not afraid of an uncertain future; it proves to our friends, colleagues and children that being an adventurer in our own lives is necessary and absolutely worth the task.
Understandably, sometimes the risks hurt; leaving a dead end job, separating from an un-fulfilling romantic relationship, or placing considerable distances between people who use you is not easy by any means- the change in environment leaves us vulnerable to having to adjust to changes and new people. Although change requires conscious decision to leave a secure but negative environment, there is also the insecurity of having to adapt to an alien environment: an environment that was often filled with isolation and a lack of knowing not what to expect next.
The change that you resolve to- should be committed to with every fiber of your being. Your decision to learn from your failures and succeed is a matter of both your free will and a reflection of your personal destiny. It is a matter of choice which begins and ends with you! So although you quit in other things in the past, now is not too late to commit to change for the better.