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Forget Resolutions - How About 9 Adventures for 2009?
We are thinking about what most of you are thinking about at the beginning of any New Year: change, goals, plans, and oh yes, Resolutions. However, given the nature of Resolutions, we figure by now, mid-month, many will have already gone by the wayside like so many before. However a new twist on Resolutions from a favourite, longterm client of ours left us looking at the New Year in a whole new way.
Now I expect no less from this client, you see, as a published children's poet her world is as creative as they come (http://www.tiffanystone.ca/) and frankly we are often delightfully reduced to giggles when we get sneak previews of her latest whacky creations! So no, not surprised at all when Resolutions became Adventures. Here are a couple of her examples (with my translation back into 'Resolution talk'):
>"Explore the backyard" (in Resolution talk this reads: tackle the new, huge, overgrown backyard, weed it, relawn it, landscape it...now that's overwhelming).
>"Make friends with sleep" (Resolution talk sounds like: I will force myself to go to bed earlier and get the right number of hours of sleep every night).
>"Stake a claim in my house. Make it mine, be proud of it, and show it off" (or it could have read: finish all unpacking, painting, repairs, and renos, before I relax and enjoy having people in).
Oh, and we love this one and think everybody could include this adventure:
>"Discover a new passion"
Now doesn't that just take the edge off the usual "I will lose weight, stop smoking, get more exercise" form of Resolution? Remember, old habits block change, but creative energy defies the repetitive nature of habit. We can make things a slog or we can approach change with enthusiasm and optimism. So when you are thinking of replacing old habits be creative and use positive, encouraging language.
The choices and changes we make are a way of bringing new energy into our lives, a way of revealing new meaning, uncovering new purpose, and taking us to a deeper level of self understanding. Your 2009 Adventures can do that for you. You can take any desired change and make it a daunting task or you could turn it into a "point of opportunity". The choice is yours...obstacle or opportunity.
Fear will cut a new adventure off at the knees. Negative thoughts or decisions spring from fear; positive decisions arise from optimism and faith. If you want results, have faith in your decisions, faith in your ability, faith in your Self, faith in your direction, faith in your commitment, and faith in faith itself. So relax and give your new adventures, your new ideas, some breathing room. Give them dream time, planning time, and maturing time. Have faith in your new Adventures.
With every New Year we may look for that one perfect choice, that one perfect change, that one perfect Resolution that will put us on the "right" path once and for all. But life is essentially about the spirit of change. Will we ever put our lives into "permanent and perfect order"? Probably not. So why not choose to see opportunities instead of obstacles.
Yes, this year forget Resolutions, we are calling for Adventures...9 for 2009! What will yours be?
Building Solutions:
1. Use energetic words like explore, rediscover, discover, make friends with, play with, learn, investigate, create, embrace, enlighten, empower...when you design your Adventures. Makes you want to jump in with enthusiasm!
2. Choose a tag line to "brand" your new year of Adventures and create a way of remembering the path you are on. Your tag line can capture a theme, belief, or want that runs through your 2009 Adventures. This year mine is "Faith or Fear" as my 2009 Adventures look to lead me on some pretty adventurous paths! This way when my knees go weak, I just ask myself...faith or fear. Dr. B has chosen "Kinder, Happier Me" as a way of reminding herself what deeper level of self-understanding permeates her 2009 Adventures.
3. Go ahead and recylce an old Resolution if you want, just rework it in the positive language and spirit of Adventure and discovery.
4. Play the "what if" game with yourself. Ask yourself with enthusiasm, "What if I could do anything I wanted this year..?" Maybe your new passion is just waiting to be discovered or uncovered.
5. Write your 9 for 2009 Adventures down on a card and keep it with you to remiind yourself of all the opportunities that await.
6. Do..don't worry. Pick a date and begin. Nothing ventured, nothing gained...with Adventures there is no winning or losing there is only success.
Dr. Toby Silverton & Dr. Bev McLagan (Silverton McLagan Identity Coaching) are personal coaches, therapists, educators, speakers and authors of many ebooks and articles that help successful, overstretched women go from burnout to balance to bliss. Since 1982 their uniquely practical and inspired approach has helped an international group of clients achieve personal and professional balance and success.
They are known for their ground-breaking work in the areas of life balance and burnout, self-identity, stress and eating disorders. For more resources, newsletters and events visit their blog: biggerthanbalanceblog.typepad.com and their website: livethesolution.com.
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