Throw Away Your New Year’s Resolutions

The countdown to 2020 is upon us. There are a few short weeks left of 2019 and my social media thread is already filling up with inspiring posts about becoming more, accomplishing those workout goals and finishing strong. After all, this isn’t just the beginning of a new year but an entirely new decade. The future is limitless.  

I don’t know about you, but New Year’s resolutions never changed my life. Raise of hands if you remember or kept yours from the one you made going into this year?! That’s what I thought. In fact, only 8% of people achieve their new year’s goals and 80% fail by February. Why? Because you are the same person at the countdown. 

There is one powerful way that is backed by science and faith that can empower you as you step into 2020 and set you up for success in this new decade.  

It’s called A RENEWED MINDSET

A mindset is an attitude. A thought has information and emotion attached to it. Mindsets effect how you see and how you interact with the world. They are powerful and are filters to how you see yourself and your future. 

We are wired for love. Research shows us we are wired to have good mindsets. You have the ability to design your own mindsets and change the ones that you no longer want. 

Before I give some practical steps that you can apply this year it is important to know that perseverance takes time. Just like you can’t do one workout and expect to look like a body builder, you can’t do something once and expect overnight change. Change takes time. Dr. Caroline Leaf teaches us that it takes a minimum of 63 days or 3 cycles of 21 days to completely renew the thoughts in our head. Be patient with yourself as you begin this new journey of intentional thinking. 

Here are five ways to implement in your daily life: 

1. Spend 15 minutes a day alone with your thoughts– No technology, social media or devices. Just spend this time paying attention to your thoughts. Think about your thinking! Thoughts create your mood and influence how you feel emotionally. You will experience new creativity from this time and your anxiety will decrease. 
2. Speak I AM declarations over yourself every day– What you focus on will grow. The words you speak to yourself will begin to manifest in your life. As you think the right thoughts about who you want to be it gives room for the right information to come in. 
3. Listen to what you say- Words share insight to how you actually feel about something. Words are the fruit of your thoughts. Analyze them and begin to weave out the ones you no longer want controlling your destiny. Management of thoughts is a key to success. This gives you the opportunity to challenge your thoughts.
4. Name your emotions and explain to someone how you feel- When you acknowledge that you have feelings about something, it gives your brain the opportunity to detox it. You brain will be able to flush it out. Emotions don’t happen to you, they are made by you. Make some good feelings this year by detoxing the past!
5. Forgive– It turns out that when you forgive the details of a transgression that happened to you, your brain does actually forget. When you don’t forgive the details grow, but when you forgive the details fade! Forgiveness releases the negative emotions of those that hurt you. Maybe you need to forgive yourself. When you forgive yourself you can begin to love yourself. Forgiveness changes your brain! Studies have shown that when you start to forgive it becomes easier to forgive over time and this is so good for your health!

As you accumulate these tools in your tool belt I believe they will give you the power to set you up for success. 2020 can look entirely different from anything you have experienced because as you change your thinking, you change your life. Nothing you have been through, you can’t overcome. Wishing you a Happy New Year and a decade filled with joy!