A New Way to Make New Year’s Resolutions

I used to do it every year. Make all these New Year’s Resolutions of goals I wanted to achieve.

I started to do it again this year and, at first, it felt really good to list them: Write another book. Create a home study course. Visit my kids more frequently. Get away with my hubby. Yoga class at least 3 times a week.

But when I reviewed the list, I was surprised by my reaction. Instead of being energized, I felt uninspired. Huh? These were things I deeply desire, achievements that would surely feed my soul. Why wasn’t I excited?

Then a line from A Course in Miracles popped in my head: “Seek not outside yourself…for you will surely fail.” In other words, I’ll never find what I really want if I keep looking for it ‘out there’ or stipulating where to find it.

Suddenly I had a flash back. New Year’s Eve, 1995. At the top of my list: Finish my first book. Not because I enjoyed writing. But as a published author, I’d finally feel important. Two years later, however, I walked by a bookstore, saw my book in the window and waited to feel important. Instead, I felt nothing!

Looking back at that memory, I now realize that what I’m really wanting isn’t actually a tangible goal. It’s how I desire to feel once I attain it.

So, this year I made a brand-new list: To savor the gratification and joy writing gives me. To relish the pleasure of working with my team in the creation of something new. To spend more time immersed in the love of my family. And to feel connected to my soul, healthy in my body and experience extended periods of inner peace.

Reading these now, I feel energized and excited for whatever unexpected events or unimagined opportunities the universe may bring.

What if you did the same? Rewrite your resolutions, listing the feelings you wish to experience without insisting you know how to find them. Share your thoughts in the comments below.