Why make resolutions only at the beginning of a new year? Aren’t resolutions meant to be like course corrections? If yes, then we would benefit from making resolutions all year long – whenever necessary. Do you agree? Going “off course” for very long at all can leave you arriving at an unplanned destination. If you’ve set important goals and you want to go big, make this year the best one yet. Here’s one last rule for success: Go Positive or Go Home . . . and refocus.
You go where you focus.
Do you tend to focus on the positive or the negative aspects of your circumstances? A body of research continues to mount proving how much healthier, productive and fulfilling our lives can be when we discover feelings like inner peace, joy and a sense of purpose. Many helpful resources cite the practice of mindfulness as a means to achieving these valuable feelings. These things might even be part of the goals you’ve set for yourself as each new year rolls around. So why can all this feel so elusive in our every day? One word – FOCUS.
Our minds are designed to go where we are focused. The more we choose a positive focus, the greater the intensity builds on finding the positive emotions and thoughts that propel you toward your goals. Therefore, regardless of the goals you’ve set for yourself, your focus has to be oriented positively to those goals. GO POSITIVE and stay positive as often as possible. Circumstances always offer you a choice on how you view them.
Go positive or go home and refocus.
If you begin with the end in mind, it’s critical to ask, “Where do you want to end up as 2018 comes to a close?” Perhaps the better question is “Where will you focus?”
⇒ A focus on the frustration you feel from not meeting a goal you’ve set can be upgraded to a focus on how far you’ve come towards the goal.
⇒ A negative focus on obstacles that you believe prevent you from reaching your potential will only make those obstacles seem larger. Focus on the steps you need to take to navigate around them.
⇒ If you’re feeling stuck, there’s a fix. Shift your focus away from the negative thinking that leads you nowhere. You can avoid these “doom loops” by following the positive inner strengths and drives you possess. If you don’t know what your inner strengths are, here is the right place to start: Understand your inner design (the Real You) and discover your inner strengths.
Don’t stay “off course.”
The last 4 weeks, we’ve been re-examining the rules we live by. I’ve submitted a few that you might find helpful as this new year gets rolling.
NEW RULES FOR THE NEW YEAR:
- Make sure your rules actually work.
- Spend time on purpose.
- Know what you don’t know.
- Perhaps none of them are as critical as this one: Go positive or refocus.
THINK OF IT THIS WAY. If a compass that was just a little bit “off” in calibration represented your focus and you started out in New York City, how far off course would you be over a few hundred miles? Would you end up at your desired destination of Florida? Or would it be Arizona instead?
Every day, we have choices to make about all sorts of things. Choose a positive focus, stay positive as often as possible. And no worries . . . when you go off-course and get negative, you can always hit the reset button and refocus. It’s an excellent habit to take up and there’s no better time than now to practice.
Stay tuned next week as we focus on 3 things you can do this year to stay on your course!