Setting an Authentic New Year's Resolution

January 08,2013

An authentic resolution is one that reflects your values. It means you need to be true to yourself. Like fingerprints, no two people haves identical values and goals...

Setting an Authentic New Year's Resolution

Setting authentic resolutions for the New Year”gee, that sounds like a great idea. I mean, I always make resolutions, I guess everyone does, but I don't wind up keeping them 99% of the time. If I knew what authentic resolutions were, I'd certainly make another one¦ Wait, you don't know what I'm talking about, do you? The term authentic resolution is one to remember.

It's okay, I was a bit confused the first time I heard about œauthentic resolutions too. So let's take a moment and clear up the most important question: What is an authentic resolution?

An authentic resolution is one that reflects your values. It means you need to be true to yourself. Like fingerprints, no two people haves identical values and goals. Your values and goals are unique, and as such, they become benchmarks and guideposts for your resolutions. To find them, you need to dig deep down into your being to find out who you really are, and what you believe in.

Here are some suggestions for establishing authentic resolutions. Some may not apply to you, and some you may think are worthless ideas. That's okay. Take those you can work with and leave the rest on the side for now. You might want to pick them up at a later time.

When you make a resolution, ask yourself the reason for it. Don't settle for your first answer. Keep asking why until you get to the root issue of what is motivating your choice of goals. This is the bedrock of your authentic objectives.

Is your goal revengeful or loving? When you aim to œget even with someone, you hurt yourself more than you'll hurt them. Be positive and encouraging to lead yourself to a good place. Karma is real.

It's often said œIt's not the end that matters in the journey, it's the journey that matters in the end. Stop looking toward the end of the road to decide if it's worth taking the journey. Relish the pleasure of each step, couch your emotions in the comfort of the œnow. It helps you stay focused on what matters today. It also helps you to deal with small, rather than large, challenges to your goal. Smaller is better. Yes, size can matter.

When you pick objectives that are measurable, it's doubtful that they are coming from the deepest part of your heart. Open-ended objectives leave you room to adjust the journey as you travel. Remember, the point is to make an achievable goal, and then go for it. If you set an objective, for example, of losing 75 pounds this year, you may feel it's overwhelming or that it's okay not starting to lose anything until August or September, and then think it's too much to lose, so you give up. It's better to say you'll lose enough weight to be able to fit into your old jeans.

Make resolutions that will make you happy. Not happy for just a moment, but happy for a while, maybe a day, a month, maybe even the year. If you can create a paradigm shift to your existence, you can create a whole new, happy you. A perfect example would be resolving to quit smoking. Set a plan in motion, and follow it. Be honest and realistic in your goals though. Failure at one level could domino into failure at all levels, so allow for stumbles.

Resolve to be honest with yourself. If you do nothing else, being honest with yourself will yield remarkable results. Just wait. You'll thank me for that one.

Resolutions are optional. There's no one around to monitor you, it's you that's held accountable for you. The New Year is within range; it's a great time to start thinking about how to make tomorrow better than today. Have a happy, safe, and sober New Year.

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Reach out to us. At Florida Center for Recovery, our licensed therapists and certified counselors are dedicated to help you or your loved one recover from drug or alcohol addiction. Our premier substance abuse treatment center provides unique programs to help patients recognize the origin of the problem that caused them to self-medicate. Learning how to deal with these problems results in facing situations, instead of avoiding them; this also reduces the chances of relapsing. For more information on receiving drug or alcohol addiction treatment, you may contact us for free consultation at:

Florida Center for Recovery “ Addiction Treatment Center: 1-800-960-5041

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MARK KILLAR

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