Why New Year Resolutions DON’T Work!

As we come to closure with the year of 2011 and prepare to launch ourselves anew into 2012, it’s easy to find the “no bull” factor in Einstein’s statement, isn’t it? We can all relate to the inherent wisdom to be found in his words. There is a self-knowing (or perhaps better said, a knowing self) within us that is always calling us to the higher ground of our being and it whispers very quietly, “It’s time to create something new in your life.” However, that very same self-knowing, when truly listened to, also affirms that we have an action role to play in making desired changes in our lives that will last. The challenge is that it is often difficult to find the “resolve” to take the proper action. It’s as if there is a silent battle going on between the reactive self, which has a burning desire for instant gratification, and the wisdom of the proactive (or responsive) self that understands the rewards of delayed gratification.

Read: What Are You Willing To Sacrifice?

I believe that the universe operates solely on the principle (or law) of cause and effect. If we desire a different result (effect) in some specific area of our lives, we know we have to introduce a new intention (cause). This is why I don’t play the “new year resolution game,” because it’s dealing in willpower, which is dealing in effect (from the outside-in) rather than cause (from the inside-out). The truth is, “will”-power won’t — it won’t sustain us for the long haul because it’s being held in place only by the conscious mind, and that part of the mind tends to get distracted, bored, tired and restless, and then it goes off in some other direction which is generally counterproductive to our desires. Any lasting change we desire has to be deeply embodied in consciousness (our belief system) before it happens in our outer lives. It’s never too late to inscribe new beliefs about ourselves on the interior walls of our mind, but we have to be open to releasing old beliefs. In the words of Dr. Ernest Holmes:

Life is a blackboard upon which we consciously or unconsciously write those messages which govern us. We hold the chalk and the eraser in our hand but are ignorant of this fact. What we now experience we need not continue to experience but the hand which holds the erasure must do its neutralizing work.

I know this is not a newsflash to any person who is consciously working on waking up and living mindfully, but a little reminder at this time of year can’t hurt because we do tend to go unconscious from time to time, especially if things have been challenging. The good news is we don’t have to be an Einstein to introduce a new cause into our lives — we only need be awake and open for change. If we make space for infinite intelligence within to show us the way — to lead us to the next step, It will. Ours is to trust the process by taking the appropriate action in faith.

Read: 3 Signs You’re an Overanalyzer & How To Break The Habit