Overcome the Dark Side of New Year’s Resolutions

A hidden facet that creates difficulty with moving on at anytime let alone into a new year is that of grieving losses and letting go of that which no longer is useful or appropriate to your life. Leaving your losses not properly attended to can also make it hard to be motivated to stay with your resolutions. Any grief, sorrow, sadness or anger that has not been brought through to completion continues to rock around in your unconscious creating blocks to forward movement, as well as blocking the full healthy flow of energy. Just as you need to empty a closet of the old to make space for the new, your inner world needs to be cleared, pruned or aired out.

Your energy and nervous system require the experience of letting go (not merely thoughts of letting go) in order for it to truly happen. Simply thinking about letting go or knowing that it is a good and necessary thing is not enough we just don’t work that way. Tools or “inner technologies” that can help bring the concept of releasing into reality are: breath work, meditation, emotional freedom technique, journaling, learning to shift levels of consciousness, and energy healing techniques can all help bring about true inner release, as well as to assist with integrating new skills and states of awareness.

Proper planning, making lists, using vision boards and using goal setting techniques are all useful for resolution making and execution. But don’t forget to make time and space for the complimentary practices that clear the way for your success. Also remember to take time to build strong energy and experience pleasure, relaxation and ease. Spend time in nature, relax, do nothing’, play, listen to wonderful music, and visit with friends. These are all ways of being that can open you to spontaneity, serendipity and synchronicity! Invite the unexpected be open to unanticipated help, allow answers and connections to happen in your life. Enable them to come to you easily and effortlessly. Sometimes we get so focused on the practical left brain way of approaching things that we forget to employ our right brain intuition and creativity that is connected to the magic of life.

So this week reflect on where you are in your life and where you want to be. Tune into your emotions and feelings. Listen to your heart. Notice what comes up. However you are feeling is OK. It’s not good or bad, it simply IS. Spend some time with it now, in the present moment. Simply BE with it. If something comes up that no longer serves you, resolve to let it go in 2012. Look around your living and working spaces. Lighten it up by letting go of physical items that you don’t use or don’t love. Clearing physical space can support clearing inner space.

As you reflect on where you have been, consider where you are headed and how you intend to shape it.

Some tips/questions you may find useful as you prepare for 2015:

What strengths can you bring forward to your new aspirations?

How are your new goals connected in some way to your past ones?

How can you use the foundation you’ve created to propel you into 2015?

Where would you like to be and how would you like to feel one year from now?

Write a letter to your self or a story “as if” you are already there.

Write down your thoughts, feelings and goals, mark the date and tuck the paper away for the year. Put the paper and your letter/story in a place where you’ll find it one year from now perhaps in an envelope that says “open at New Year’s 2016.” At that point, open it up and you’ll see how far you’ve really come! Then once again you can set new goals with renewed enthusiasm.