Dear Positive Habit Blog subscribers,

Happy New Year!

I’m so happy to be writing to you on the first day of 2018 – a new day, a new week, a new month and a beautiful new year full of possibilities for you to create the life you deserve.

Many of us will be reflecting on some personal and professional New Year’s resolutions.  Personally, I embrace new year as an opportunity to clarify where I am and where I am going.  Right now, I am in the beautiful city of Verona, the home of Romeo and Juliet and this quote serves as a good reminder to cultivate patience and balance when it comes to New Year’s goals.

“Wisely and slow; they stumble that run fast.”

William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet

The excitement and excesses of the holiday season leave many feeling emotionally and mentally vulnerable.  When our energy is depleted we tend to give ourselves a harder time and leave the door wide open for our inner critic to judge all of our ‘shortcomings.’  This often results in pressure and the setting of harsh and unrealistic goals such as:

• “I’m never drinking again!”
• “I’m going to lose a stone in a week.”
• “I need to get a new job and do a Masters at the same time.”

While these goals express positive intentions and may have some worth, the approach needs to be more measured and balanced. When we put pressure on ourselves to quickly change habits that have been ingrained for a long time, we end up feeling worse about ourselves than we did in the beginning. Often the resolutions we made on 31st December have faded by the second week in January and the inner critic now has a fresh mental stick to beat us with! Examples include,

• “See, I told you, you are no good.”
• “You never achieve anything you set out to do.’’
• “You can’t stick to anything – just give up!”
• How can you make goals that stand the test of time?

Whether it is January or June, truly achieving your goals is a matter of both perspective and patience.  We have become so conditioned to believe that external events will lead to the internal state we crave and that this is always in the future and difficult to attain. Examples include:

• “When I lose weight then I will feel attractive.”
• “When I get a new job then I will feel confident.”
• “When I am fit then I will feel healthy.”
• “When I am in a relationship then I will feel lovable.”
• “When I get my degree then I will feel intelligent.”

Behind all of these thoughts is the belief that you are only good enough if something or someone external validates it. However, by putting the internal state first as the goal (in the present tense) then the external goal becomes the consequence of the internal feeling.

Read these sentences again and focus on the difference.

• “I feel attractive and then I will lose weight.”
• “I feel confident then I will get the new job.”
• “I feel healthy then I will be fit.”
• “I feel lovable and then I will be in a relationship.”
• “I feel intelligent and then will I get my degree.”

For example, we first need to feel confident (internal state) in order to perform well at an interview to get a new job (external goal). Ultimately it is not complex and comes down to where you put your attention.  If you focus on feeling confident, healthy, intelligent, loveable and attractive NOW, not at some point in the future, you will have the energy it takes to achieve more than you may ever have imagined.

Ask yourself these three questions to help you find out what it is that you need to truly cultivate for 2018.

1. How do I want to feel when I rise in the morning?
2. How do I want to feel as I go through my day?
3. What three external goals support these feelings in 2018?

Write down the feeling or feelings that you want to feel – this internal state is now your main goal for 2018 and allow everything to flow from this place.

Your subconscious mind will automatically look for opportunities that back up the goal of your internal state. When we feel good about ourselves good things happen as we exude a positive energy that draws people and opportunities to us.  Remember to be balanced, patient and kind and your best self will flourish in 2018.

Thanks for reading. If you found this blog useful, please do share it and encourage your friends and family to sign up so that they too can reach their full positive potential in 2018.