"Our lives are a continual process of becoming; which in it's essence is a spiritual unfoldment of coming to know who and what we are. When we understand that this is the purpose of our being here and what it entails, we can assist in our own process of Awakening and more easily open to our True Beingness and live the life we were intended to live."

Dr. John Michael Christian MScD

New Years Resolutions

By John Michael Christian MScD

Hi everyone, and welcome to the first article of 2008! I thought this would be a good time to talk about making New Year’s resolutions since this is the time of year when many people resolve to make changes in their lives.

The tradition of making New Year’s Resolutions actually goes all the way back to 153 BC and ancient Rome. The Romans had a mythical god named Janus, who had two faces, one of which looked back to the past, and the other forward to the future. On New Year’s the Roman people would do much as we do today and look back at the previous year and resolve to make changes in the coming year.

What I really want to talk about though isn’t Janus, it’s why people have such a difficult time keeping their resolve to change. Research has shown that over 20% quit within the first week and by the time three months are up a full 50% have stopped trying.

The reason for this is because few understand how the mind works or how to create lasting change in their lives. For example, let’s say you have resolved to lose weight and eat more healthy food in the coming year. This is something many would like to do given that so many Americans are overweight, but unless we understand how to get there, we may have a hard time doing it.

It can often be quite difficult to make a change in our lives when our mind is actually working against us and trying to maintain the status quo. Most people don’t like change, and part of the reason for this is because it’s actually the mind that doesn’t like change. To an ego, change is frightening because it’s the unknown, and the ego’s job in part is to insure our survival, which can be more easily done by staying safe, at least from it’s perspective. There is also another aspect to this, and it has to do with our identity.

We’ve talked previously about the need to shift out of our identity with our mind and our stories in order to become Conscious, and this is another part of the reason so many people fail to attain change in their lives, whether they be New Year’s Resolutions or otherwise.

Our stories and habits are like deep ruts in a well worn trail, and even though it may be difficult negotiating that trail, to an ego it’s still preferable to setting out into the unknown and blazing a new one, or even following one that others are on that may be far more appealing.

So if we are to make change, we first have to recognize that it is our nature to NOT change, and we also have to recognize that it is our nature NOT to want to engage in or accept pain. When we understand things from this perspective, it begins to make it easier because at least we know what we’re up against. If you want to lose 20 or 30 pounds, you know that you have to change your eating habits, and you may also have to endure painful exercise to do it. But if you understand from the beginning what’s going to happen, then when the obstacles start to arise you at least have the awareness to override them.

There’s another aspect to creating lasting change also, and it is to intend and visualize the change we’re seeking. We’ve talked a little in previous articles about how our thinking creates our reality. As Buddha once said “All that you are is the result of what you have thought”.. and it’s true. And as I said in the last article, even Spiritual Awakening begins by setting an intention, which could also be seen as having a resolve to wake up.

Many people though don’t realize that our minds can be used to create change in our lives and that the mind is an extremely powerful tool. Did you know, for example, that the mind cannot tell the difference between a real event and an imagined (or visualized) one? Studies have shown that top athletes who did nothing but visualize their game actually outperformed their counterparts who physically practice every day!

Even creating change in this way requires getting leverage on our ego though. Otherwise, we’re not going to stick with it. First we have to know where we’re going, and we also have to know precisely WHY we want to go there. That’s what gives us the leverage we need to keep going. If we give our mind a REASON and outcome, it can and will fall into alignment and help to accomplish what we’re seeking.

The reason why many people who try to use the Law of Attraction fail, and also why most people who make resolutions fail is because we cannot set an intention without being clear on where we’re going and WHY, or we won’t arrive at our intended destination.

So then the first step is to get clear with yourself. Why do you want what you want? Sit down and write out exactly why you want to lose the weight or make more money this year. You have to first know where you’re going or you’ll never get there. By the way, during this process you may discover that what you’re really seeking isn’t more money or whatever, but greater peace of mind or happiness or personal freedom. This exercise is important because it will give you clarity on the reasons you want change, which in turn will give you purpose and determination.

Then once you’re clear on your whys and it has become real in your mind, you can set your intention or resolution because you have somewhere to go, and the Universe can set about creating it as well.

So set your intention and visualize yourself 20 lbs thinner, or see yourself sitting in that new office, or whatever. You’ll find that as you see and feel yourself as already having attained what you want, the universe will bring it about quite magically. Feeling as you will feel once you have attained your goal is quite important also. In fact it’s critical because it aligns you energetically with what you are trying to create.

You’ll also find that as you begin to make changes through your own volition, that the universe steps up to the plate and simultaneously brings change from within. One morning you may suddenly find that you have the urge to completely change your eating habits and you do it, and then you discover that you actually LIKE exercising and that it makes you feel great! See what I mean? It’s the way things work.

If you’re more comfortable with making resolutions, you’ll want to set your resolve to make a change and do that. I don’t really recommend this method, primarily because it works exclusively from the ego and self will, but if you are more inclined to do this then go for it. Either way will work, but I find that this method is much more difficult.

Also, with either means you’ll find that you will have to keep your focus on your goals and keep working toward them and keep visualizing. The universe WILL bring about what you are seeking (Seek and Ye Shall Find, Knock and It Shall Be Opened Unto You).. but you have to hold your resolve and play an active role. You can’t just sit on the couch and expect things to fall in your lap, but you will find that if you take the first step the road will rise up to meet you.

If you find yourself slacking off, take a look at why. If you can’t see why, then it may be your mind resisting change. If that happens, ask for it to clear and it well, or Intend that it clears. Either way is fine. Remember, as I said in the last article, we have to work with God to bring about positive change in our lives, and if we don’t ask, we won’t receive.

So until next month, may you all be blessed immeasurably with great love and abundance in every area of your life. Until next time, keep smiling!

Namaste'

John

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