The New Year for many of us symbolizes change, shift, growth, getting around to those things we kept saying we wanted to do and hopefully this is a time where we are grateful for what the year has given us.

It’s a time of hope. A whole entire year ahead of us filled with possibility and even this magical feeling that everything now will suddenly be OK.

One of the biggest ways we fail our resolutions is we make them into something far too grand. We want to completely change every cell in our being, we want to be a whole new person, and the New Year does not work that way.

Every breath, every thought, action, motion, every flaw or strength is a vibration towards what we want to create. Your thoughts alone are extremely powerful, exact words that are specific as if they are part of a mathematical formula need to be used.

For example, if you tell yourself constantly while you are driving that you hate driving, no one drives well than you will absolutely SEE this being manifested around you. If you keep calm while you are driving, there is a love to staying present than you will see calmness as a ripple effect around you.

One of the major mind sets to keep for New Year’s Resolutions; they are baby sets for one another. 

A very common resolution I am seeing via social media is to lose weight. There are steps to this…

One resolution could be a gym membership, join a running club, purchase fitness classes like Yoga, Zumba, Pilates, Crossfit, Boxing and so forth. A second resolution that is part of this is a meal plan. Possibly hiring a nutritionist, cooking classes, enroll in a weight loss support group, personal trainer and/or taking online classes about food.

Create set goals and deadlines.

Saying I want to lose so-and-so pounds is not specific enough. Each week and month there should be a goal on how much weight to lose. If you are going to the gym, or have a nutritionist, they will be able to assist you with finding a healthy system for this.

Have a deadline! Examples; by February lose enough weight to run a marathon in this set time. By June rock an outfit that I was never confident about wearing.

Have REWARDS that relate to your goals.

Try out new work out forms, new foods, find social activities related to hobbies and oodles more. Weight loss might push a vacation, a beach trip if may be once upon a time confidence was in the way of that, etc.

Keep a journal, video journal, make a collage, art anything to help document your progress. 

Some people are very into numbers, charts…this system does nothing for me personally but you know what gets your brain stimulated! I like to do more of a diary and doodles way of documenting my progress. This will be amazingly helpful for those moments where we want to quit. If we get down and it’s hard to see the progress that has been made. Sometimes reading just a few lines can get us feeling motivated, grateful, and even feel happy.

With all of these demands we put on ourselves it’s crucial to remember that we are never doing anything out of punishment. Make sure your goals, deadlines, activities have elements that will make you laugh, they will brew more compassion and love in your life. Your resolutions are already TRUE to the being you are, they show gratitude for who you are. Please do not forget that! You are amazing, everything you do is about being true to YOUR spirit.

If you are a little lost about resolutions a simple one that makes one of the largest impacts is making time to help others. When we give, we never lose, we aren’t draining ourselves, but putting more good out there in the world so good can keep growing.

I can’t personally say I have a New Year’s Resolution list because every day, week, month I mentally have goals set up for myself. This method happens to work well for me. I can feel grateful and at peace with each baby step towards the ultimate goal. Sometimes when it’s not clear what the “big picture”or ultimate goal is using a step-by-step method shows us what we were looking for all along.

To get a little personal, since I was a child I’ve had oodles of social anxiety, one major thing is I feared going to places like a Gym. I know I am not ripped, I’m clumsy, I drop water bottles, I don’t know how to use all the machines, I laugh at random things. But I got a gym membership and have actually been digging it. I’ll wake up extra early to make it work with my schedule. (Below is a 4am out to the gym selfie) I have been gradually working away at my social anxiety; yoga was a huge launch into helping me meditate and realize that there are two types of voices in my mind. The one that is completely present and the other voice that is completely false fears. I still have more steps on my list, there are still days where I end up cancelling plans because I think I can’t do it. But that’s why it is a plan, it is a practice, that’s why there is never just one plan. Who cares about calling it Plan A, there’s a whole gosh darn alphabet and no one thing works exactly the same for everyone. Okay, back to where we were haha.

There are actions to each final product. If you want to read more books; get a library card, look up the top books to read, ask friends what they are reading, be open to genres you wouldn’t typically read, set a day and time to read every day, and may be the “big picture” goal is by the end of the year you have read two books each month!

A vague goal, for example, is setting a destination or vacation. What are the obstacles? Do you need to work more hours to get the money? How can you improve your quality of work to make more money and/or to get more shifts? Are you scared of traveling? Do you need a passport? Can you speak the language? What is the motivation, or true purpose of this trip? Be specific, do you want a Bermuda surf vacation? Make it so vivid you can already see and feel it happening.

The more specific, focused and grateful you are the more likely the pieces will come together for your resolution. This will end up having a positive affect on your life in more ways than possibly imagined. You’ll start to be organized, determined, savvy, overall instead of fighting yourself you will start fighting for yourself.

Please make precise resolutions that are more than just resolutions, they are all these wonderful, joyful, and challenging actions to achieve your bigger goal. Thank yourself every day, live in that one moment because that memory will help you get what you want. Keep a journal of some form to honor yet move through the difficult days. Don’t forget to help others possibly with the knowledge, energy, happiness and strength you have gained.

Wishing you all a Happy New Year! May your 2016 be filled with great company, much laughter, growth, compassion, peace and everything yummy in between! Thank you for taking the time to stop by my site.

Much love ❤ and raw power 😉 xo Jess