Happy New Year! As I sit here in my office, it’s early afternoon on 1/1/2012…the start of a brand new year. I always love New Year’s Day. It reminds me of the unlimited possibilities that we each have in front of us.
In fact, I usually think of the start of a new year as a blank canvas. It’s unspoiled by past efforts and just waiting for us to create. The failures we met in the previous year don’t count for the most part. The canvas is blank and pristine.
Now, the truth is, that there is nothing “magical” about January 1 and all of last year’s troubles did not magically disappear. Some would argue that the date is nothing more than an arbitrary label assigned by calendar makers centuries ago and that’s okay. We don’t need magic to get amazing results from the new year. All we need is mindset, belief and positive action.
MINDSET
First, let’s start with mindset. Take this opportunity to make an emotional and mental break from the past. I don’t care how much you’ve failed, been knocked down or, for that matter, how much you’ve succeeded. Those past failures and successes are in the past. Now, we’re marching toward the future. Learn the lessons from the past and be ready to move on.
Your assignment is to take some time on this wonderful holiday and do some “dream building” or meditation. Picture yourself as the person you would like to be, not as you think you are. Be specific. Imagine that you had describe the “ideal you” to someone else, how would you do it? What words would you use?
Once you come up with this description, write it down. This is the blueprint you will follow as you “build” the new you. Don’t forget to list the positive traits you already like about yourself. Don’t sell yourself short.
BELIEF
Next, we move onto belief. If you don’t believe you can achieve the improvements you seek in life, you’ll never get there. It’s just that simple. You have to believe it.
Belief is the basis of every self-help book and it’s even a fundamental premise of prayer from the Bible. Jesus told his disciples to believe they will receive what they ask for when they pray (Matthew 21:22). Just a verse earlier, Jesus warned his disciples about the crippling danger of doubt.
Doubt is the killer of dreams and the destroyer of progress. Self-doubt is especially damaging because it screams, “You can’t do this so why even try?”
Once that thought takes hold, it kills off our desire to take action and, without action, nothing happens and dreams die. That’s why it is very important that you commit to believing that you can become the person you desire to be.
ACTION
Now, we’re getting to the “brass tacks” of the whole deal…action. Without positive action, nothing will change and all you will do is spin your wheels.
The first action you must take is to make a road map of sorts. You must plot out the steps it will take to get you from “where you are” to “where you want to be.” For example, let’s say your “ideal you” speaks Spanish, but you currently don’t know a single word, you might want to take a Spanish class at your local community college.
If tasks seem to big, break them down until they no longer appear so daunting. There’s an old saying that goals are a “cinch by the inch and hard by the yard.” So, break them down into “one-inch” pieces.
Once you have your road map written out, take action! Do something! If you are not entirely sure what action to take, ask someone who is where you want to be.
I’ve often noted that people become like those with whom they associate. If you want to be an eagle and soar, you can’t hang around with turkeys. The turkeys don’t have the skills to teach you how to fly. I’m not saying that you should give up your friends, but you should jealously guard your time and your dreams and be very choosy with whom you share either.
This is your year to shine, if you choose to make it so. Let’s make 2012 the year that we rock this world.
Be blessed,
PS: If you read this article after 1/1/12, don’t think you have to wait until next New Years Day to make positive changes in your life. That’s not true at all. You can make these changes at any time you want. New Years is just a convenient way to mark the changes in our mind. It’s all up to you.
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