Don’t Make A Resolution – Make A Revolution

If you are really ready for change, and you want big change, you need to stir things up internally to really create a shift. Lists, simple ideas and chats with friends are not going to get you the change you are looking for. It is through big shifts that you can pull yourself out of the rut. It is a scary but exciting idea.

Are you ready for revolution this year? You can start by asking yourself the questions: Who do I want to be? How do I want to live? What impact do I want to make on the world? As you answer these questions, view yourself as a student of change by releasing your emotional attachment to everything in your life for a time. Begin again with a blank slate, allowing for the possibility that you may be wrong about many things you believe and feel. Only with this release can you foster the kind of internal transformation that creates outward reform.

1. Examine your personal operating system. Look at all of your spiritual, political, relationship and cultural beliefs, as well as your habits, traditions and lifestyle choices. Are they truly your own or adopted from parents or peers? Begin creating a new operating system based on your desires and choices. 2. Analyze each of your fears. Are they truly grounded in reality? Is there solid evidence that you have real reason for concern? Is there solid evidence to the contrary? Practice the skills to challenge your fears and replace your thoughts with positive truths and actions. 3. Examine your life and begin to simplify it. This includes places where you have over-scheduled your life, taken on obligations that you really don’t want, or have allowed people to steal your time and energy. 4. Get very clear on what success in life really means for you. We spend much of our lives chasing the wrong dreams, wasting time with non-fulfilling activities, or spending money on stuff that provides temporary pleasure. Focus your energy on what is most important to you. 5. Know what your core values are and align your life and work around them. If you don’t do this, your life is like a ship without a rudder. Define these most important values and use them as a guide for every big decision in your life. Ask yourself, “Does this decision or choice support one or more of my core values?” 6. Examine the beliefs you have about yourself that are outdated or untrue. What stories have you told yourself and reinforced over the years about what you can and can’t do or be? Think about it. 7. Get rid of negativity and boost your self-esteem. Negative emotions will undermine every positive change you want to make in your life. You simply don’t have the energy for a revolution when you are emotionally incapacitated. 8. Embrace a service-oriented life. Research and studies have revealed that sustained happiness is fostered through service to others. Giving of yourself gives your life a sense of purpose and meaning. Begin to think about how you can create a purpose for your life through service. 9. Practice taking risks and acting in the face of uncertainty. You will be amazed at what you find. 10. Living out your life passion, whether through your career or otherwise, elevates your quality of life to the highest level. When you are doing something that fills your cup and makes you come alive with enthusiasm, all areas of your life will be more fulfilling.

Happy New Year and now on with your personal revolution!

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  melinda clarke