2009: Resolve to Look Ahead with Positivity
Here’s an inspired twist on making New Year’s resolutions:
Over the next few days (or even on New Year’s Eve – why not?) take time out to meditate on where you’d like to see yourself by the end of 2009. Envision changes you’re eager to make in all of the different areas of your life – career, relationships, finances, your health and personal goals. Be realistic and compassionate, but don’t be afraid to dream big.
Then, write yourself a letter. Now here’s the key – write it in the present tense, as if these things have already happened. I know it’s a little hokey, but who cares.
Dear Amy,
I am so proud of you. In the last year, you finally learned to take more time for yourself, to embrace your health wholeheartedly, to meditate daily, take even better care of your body, and to handle all of your challenges with more grace and poise.
You made sure to relax, read books, get regular massages and facials, enjoy yoga, travel extensively, experience culture and spend quality time with your loved ones.
You were also grateful and proud to see International Orange grow and your team more aligned and positive than ever. I’d like to think that you set such a good example for your staff by taking care of yourself that they were inspired to treat themselves better as well. And that seed rippled down through your community, to your International Orange clients, and in turn to their friends and family.
That’s why International Orange is a thriving, vibrant business and a comforting sanctuary for so many San Franciscans even in a time when that’s not the case everywhere. I am so proud of who you are and what you’ve helped bring to the world.
Love,
Amy
Seal and address the letter to yourself, give it to your most organized and reliable friend, and ask them to mail it to you in early December of 2009. Then, forget all about it. Give it up to the gods, as they say.
It might sound like a contrived visualization technique à la “The Secret”, but it’s actually a profound experience. You might amaze yourself when, a year from now, you read the letter and find that you are actually in a much different place then when you started your year. It’s all about setting an intention in motion. Here’s what it’s not about: pressure, guilt or perfectionism.
So often, New Year’s resolutions seem designed to submit us to failure. We throw our hearts into them for a month or so and then we give up and forget all about them. This year, I invite you to try a different path.
Wishing you health, love and happiness in 2009,
Amy
31 Dec 2008
Brandie Baker
Love this idea!
03 Jan 2009
shanda
wonderful idea, amy! i’m going to do it. wishing you many blessings, good health, love and peace in 2009. ~shanda