It's that time of year again, when everyone is talking about New Year's Resolutions. And with any conversation about making them comes the inevitable topic of how soon we will break the New Year's Resolutions. Many manage to follow through on their Resolutions and the process works for them, and yet for some of us, even with the best of intentions, we find ourselves slipping back into old habits and patterns as the holidays give way to our return to "normal life".
A few years ago, I came across a concept that has broken that pattern for me. It's called "One Word". It works like this: first, choose a word. Make it a powerful word that will pull together all the brilliant changes you want to make in your life this year. You'll probably want to choose a nominalization, a noun you can't fit into a wheelbarrow, like love or joy. Choose it carefully, because this word is going to become the focal point for your year, constantly providing motivation and direction for the decisions you make.
Mike Mandel, one of my trainers, likes to use the metaphor of how ridiculous it would be to buy software for a computer and then fail to install it. Your brain is the most powerful computer in the world, so when you choose a word, install it in your mind, just like a piece of software! There are many ways to do this, but the way I like is to close my eyes and imagine that the word turns into a color in front of me. Then I take a deep breath and imagine breathing in that color, taking all of it in and making it part of me.
Two years ago, I chose the word "action" and last year, it was "follow-through". During those two years, I became a certified hypnotist, launched a growing business that I love, got myself in better shape than I've been in years and directed two very successful theatre productions. This year, my word is "courage" and I can't wait to see where it takes me!
How are you going to use your word to make changes in your life that will make 2020 an awesome year for you?