(Be) Happy New Year 2017!

The beginning of the New Year is a great time to start the process of letting go of old habits and forming new ones. Most of us have become really good at making New Year’s Resolutions. Furthermore, we are determined to accomplish these goals … at least for a while. Because it seems that at the end of each year, when we take a look back at our lives in review, many times we find that we are making the same resolutions for the coming New Year.

So what are we doing wrong? What is it about us humans that after a few weeks we will find it almost impossible to do what is on our 2017 bucket list before we ‘kick the [2017] bucket’? (‘Kicking the bucket’ is an old English idiom that means ‘to die.’)

I believe that the problem has to do with how we make our New Year’s resolutions. To make a list of specific goals without having the proper foundation to accomplish these goals is fruitless. I don’t know about you, but I want the 12 grapes of prosperity that I almost choked on New Year’s Eve to count for something.

Remember the Law of Attraction. This law states that your outer world is a reflection of your inner world. When talking about New Year’s resolutions, look at your goals as a part of your outer world. Your core beliefs about yourself and the world around you are a part of your inner world. Your core beliefs must positively match your resolutions or you will fail.

It is like saying, “I will lose 30 pounds this year,” while down deep, in your core, you are not completely sure that you can lose those 30 pounds because you have failed so many times before. Self-doubt and its BFF, negative self-talk, are the biggest saboteurs of personal goals. Doubt and criticize yourself while you are trying to accomplish something and the first time you binge eat your way through a bad day with a plate of nachos topped with flamin’ hot chips and loaded with cheese, you’re done. No more diet. No more exercise. No more New Year’s Resolution. All because, down deep, you already believed that you would fail.

It is time to do away with the typical resolutions and think about personal mantras. The word ‘mantra’ is Hindu for a repeated word or phrase used in meditation and prayers. “My mouth shall speak of wisdom; and the meditation of my heart [shall be] of understanding.” (Psalms 49:3) All our talk, to ourselves and to others, should be wise and caring.

We all have our mantras. Some of my personal mantras include “I want the truth, even it if hurts,” and “I can eat whatever I want and never gain weight.” My new mantra for 2017 is “Bless. Expect nothing. Let it go. Receive everything.” Not all of my mantras are positive. For example, when things are going wrong, I need to stop telling myself, “I know things could get worse.” Why would I want to invite something worse with my negative self-talk? I understand the Law of Free Will: What you believe, you receive.

What are your core beliefs about yourself or about how life works when it comes to losing that weight, getting out of debt, or quitting smoking? Listen to your self-talk when you think about your goals. If this talk is negative in any way, make it positive. Helpful Rule #1: No more doubting yourself for any reason. Helpful Rule #2: Do not look for perfection when it comes to completing your resolutions. Look for improvement. And Helpful Rule #3: If there is anything or anyone in your life that brings up feelings of worthlessness, please take the time to think about your own happiness. Life is too short to be in a relationship with a person who does not want to be happy with you.

So do not wait to be happy until after you have succeeded in accomplishing your New Year’s resolutions. Be Happy New Year 2017 and you will achieve your goals because of the love you have in your heart for yourself!