Which Path (New Year’s Resolution) is Right for You?

December 31, 2012 by Leave a Comment

It’s that time again: New Year’s resolutions. According to online resources, resolution means “a firm decision to do or not do something” or “a formal expression of intention.” A New Year’s resolution is “a commitment that an individual makes to reform a habit and is set apart from other resolutions because it is made in anticipation of the New Year and new beginnings.”

Our Julian calendar is linear, with a beginning and ending of each year; whereas the Mayans considered their time reference to be cyclical, with no specific beginning and end. Ironic then, isn’t it, that it was the misinterpretation of the Mayan calendar that was used to erroneously predict the end of the world?

What I began to ponder is why is there so much emphasis to accept and invite change at the New Year?

According to a University of Bristol study involving 3,000 people, 88% of those who set New Year’s resolutions fail, despite the fact that 52% of the study’s participants were confident of success at the beginning. These results are probably not a surprise since you may have experienced similar results as these participants. The study goes on to suggest techniques for improving success rates such as peer support and sharing your goals with others.

This external focus on success may be helpful, but it diverts us from the main issues. First, resolutions need to be motivated from within your own spirit. If that’s the case, you can tune into your authentic needs and not rely on the support of others as ongoing motivation. Second, resolutions need to be made from the heart and not the head. Do you feel that you want to lose 10 pounds or do you think you should? Living from your heart allows you to make decisions based on higher consciousness. Third, and perhaps most importantly, is that opportunities to change a habit are available in every moment — not only yearly, monthly, or daily, but moment to moment. One of the key yogic principles is awareness in the present moment. With every breath, with every part of the breath, is the opportunity to invite new opportunities and new awareness.

Many may have been waiting to see whether the end of the world occurred before committing to personal change! But it didn’t end, and we’re still here at the end of 2012 with all the opportunities imaginable and non-imaginable available to us. What will be your intentions in 2013?

Many blessings,
Angela

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Creating the Life You Feel

September 30, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Cornflower in my garden

Have you ever been asked whether you see the glass as half full or half empty? Underlying this question is the notion that you are an optimist or a pessimist. You know the “correct” answer, right? Half full. So if you can look at situations positively, why choose anything else?

Perhaps people choose to see the glass as half empty so they don’t set themselves up for disappointment. If they don’t expect life to deliver, then there isn’t anything to regret and they won’t be let-down when their expectations aren’t met. However, this attitude has a low vibration and I see it as a downward spiral of energy. Some may not even be aware of their own limiting thoughts, let alone how this affects their energy. 

On the other hand, presenting a positive affirmation to the world, such as “Life is good!” isn’t necessarily the answer. If the heart doesn’t feel the affirmation, then it’s unlikely the vibration is much different than seeing the glass as half empty, and the words become just another story we tell ourselves. And as I’m often heard saying, “You can’t fake energy.” Energy always rings true, even if the words don’t. 

To create the life we want, we first need to examine how we feel about our thoughts. It is the conscious mind that creates the thought “life is good,” but it’s the subconscious mind that plays out our habitual responses to life. So while we have plenty of guidance from life coaches and motivational speakers about having a positive attitude and manifesting the life we want, it may not be as simple as having a vision statement or vision board.

According to Bruce Lipton, we need to examine our belief systems that drive the subconscious mind. Since the subconscious mind can easily override the conscious mind, it can easily sabotage a positive affirmation if you have an underlying belief that contradicts the affirmation.

So if you can’t figure out why you aren’t manifesting what you think you want, take a look at why you’re manifesting what you feel you deserve.

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