The winter season has to do with nourishing, restoring and going inward so it is unnatural to try to force your body into losing weight and pushing forward on projects this time of year. You would not find a bear coming out of his den and going to the gym – the bear is restoring his energy for the spring fun to come.
So, Don’t get bummed out if you don’t automatically turn into superwoman in January by shedding pounds, working out constantly and making big leaps forward.
On the other hand it is a good idea to “lean in” towards your goals and intentions and gently set them in motion. With this in mind I am offering some RESOLUTION SOLUTIONS so you don’t get overwhelmed and give up on your dreams:
1) Realize you are already amazing!!
First of all before you start any of this resolution stretching “better yourself and the world” realize a few things and say them to yourself:
I am enough
There is enough
I am amazing, wonderful and lovable just as I am
Now that you have said this you can now relax and explore what is percolating from the depths of your soul and what you are leaning towards.
2) Change your perspective
Wayne Dyer says, “When you change the way you look at things the things you look at change!” So a simple change of perspective can make all the difference when you are tracking your New Year’s resolutions.
Why not change:
I NEED to lose weight to…..
I want more lightness in my life
I want to feel vibrant and alive
I want to build my energy and vitality
Why not change:
I NEED to get organized to…..
Everything is in perfect order and has divine timing
Everything always works out for me
If you can change your perspective on why you want this resolution and go about it from a place of feeling good instead of not good enough or lack then you won’t automatically set yourself up for failure. Your body hears every word and thought so give it some positive prompting instead of freaking it out by telling it to lose 10 pounds.
3) Make it realistic and EASY!!
If you start a program at the gym or a diet that is too hard-core you are setting yourself up for failure. So make it easy on yourself and let your body come back into balance naturally by starting off slow!!
4) Create a buddy system
You are more likely to get up and run, go to the gym, follow a healthy eating plan or train for your triathlon if you have a buddy to do it with. Just having a friend will make it more fun and you can help each other when you start to lose the excitement.
5) Take Baby Steps
Take your program one day at a time and if you slip up don’t throw the whole plan out the window. Ideally you want to train your body/mind to trust your words by implementing the actions to support your resolution. For instance I wanted to improve my swimming when I was a triathlete and I had to get up each day and go to the masters work out. If I had just blown it off each day then my body would have thought I was joking. So you want to do things each day that support your life purpose and your resolution dream but they have to fit into your already packed lifestyle
Easy Baby Step Ideas:
*If you don’t have time to meditate 20 min twice a day just try One Minute Meditations throughout the day and use whatever is in front of you as your practice.
*If you don’t have time to go to the gym 3 times a week just go out for a walk to the mailbox but most importantly just try to get outside everyday.
*If you don’t have time to stretch or do yoga for an hour everyday just find 3 simple exercises that you can do to move your spine and breath and do them everyday.
*Instead of cutting out all junk food cold turkey allow yourself one day a week to have your favorite treat. Make it special, not a punishment.
Finally I want to leave you once again with my favorite saying of all time by Thich Nhat Hanh which helps sum up a good resolution —
Go Slowly… Breathe and Smile!!!
Go Slowly and bit by bit. It is a healthy, long lasting lifestyle that will create the vitality you want.
Breathe… The breath or “Inspire” or Inspiration is learning to listen to what motivates, excites and inspires you. It is hard to MAKE yourself MAKE the changes but it is easy if it is inspired action because you will want to do it… Rumi says
“Let yourself be silently drawn by the stronger pull of what you really love.” Love is like a magnet, which sets everything in motion. It is much easier to swim downstream than swim upstream so find what inspires you and go with the Flow!
Smile…Well this really sums it all up…Just smile because it actually opens the central channel of your body and allows grace to align you with what you are naturally. You are the God Spark of all that is beautiful, magical and wonderful. When you smile you “Align with that Divine” part of yourself, which is this internal giggle of delight that is just so happy to be alive. Remember, “angels fly because they take themselves lightly” so don’t take it so serious and lighten up the fast and easy way…Just Smile. My motto is: If it is not fun.. just don’t do it!!