Just as predictably as the ball drops in Times Square at midnight on January 1, people around the world will be using the fresh energy of a new year to set their resolutions. And just as predictably as the Valentine’s Day cards show up in the stores by the end of January, more than half of all the resolutions made will have already been broken.
Why do you think it’s so hard to stick to and fulfill our New Year’s resolutions?
I think it has to do with how we make our resolutions. We aren’t creating them properly!
Most of us are creating our resolutions from our ego desires. Here’s a subtle but very powerful shift that can remarkably make your resolutions work: You need to create your resolutions from your soul rather than from your ego.
When we create our resolutions from our soul, we achieve them more easily and we start living in a more effortless flow, in what I call “the Miracle Zone.”
So, now you’re probably thinking, well, if that’s all it takes to achieve my resolutions, I’m happy to do that, but how do I know if my resolutions are from my ego or from my soul?
The answer is stunningly simple: When you make choices from the realm of the ego, your body will feel some contraction, anxiety or fear, and what will show up in your life is struggle. If you feel like you’re pushing, forcing, and over-efforting, and that you need to manipulate and control in order to get the results you want. . .that’s ego. When you try to create from the ego, it’s always an up-hill battle because you’re living outside the Miracle Zone.
On the other hand, when you set your intentions from your soul, your experience will be completely different because the soul is the realm of love, expansion, effortless flow, all possibilities and miracles.
So let’s make this more concrete.
Think about something you want to create in your life in 2022—some resolution or intention that you want to bring to fruition. If you’re like most people, your New Year’s resolutions are to lose weight, get organized, make more money, spend more time with family and friends or begin a fitness regime. Do you have yours? Now, before you read any further, write it down.
Next, take a look at how you worded your resolution or intention. This reflects how you really “hold” it in your mind and heart.
If your intention is to lose weight and you wrote down, “Lose 20 pounds,” I’m sorry to say that’s worded as an ego-based intention. Your ego wants you to look a certain way. Maybe because you’re afraid of being judged or rejected or maybe you want to fit into society’s brainwashed definition of beauty or you’re having a hard time loving yourself the way you now look. Or maybe you want to “show” your old boyfriend what he so unwisely gave up…
Now let’s look at your soul’s version of that same intention.
Your soul’s approach wouldn’t be, “I want to lose 20 pounds.” Your soul’s approach would be, “I am committed to being fit, vital and healthy, living in a body that reflects on the outside the radiance that I truly am on the inside.”
Do you see the difference? Which feels better to you? Which one caused your heart to expand with truth and skip a beat with the anticipation of manifesting your resolution? That’s a soul intention. It’s about aligning with the truth of who you are.
In both cases, you’re looking for the same outcome, but when you switch the angle of your approach, you are in the flow of universal energy. This opens you up to a greater force that allows things to happen with ease. You still need to take action, but when you act with the power of a soul intention behind it, the path is paved with grace and miracles begin to reveal themselves one after the other.
This year, after you write your resolutions, go through your list and identify which ones are ego intentions and which ones are soul intentions. Think about how you can shift each intention. If you get stuck, share this concept with a friend and help each other create from this new angle so that every resolution becomes a soul intention.
If you want to hear more about this and other life-changing ideas to make 2022 your most miraculous year ever, I invite you to read my ebook where I share The 4 Biggest Mistakes That Keep You From Living A Miraculous Life. Just CLICK HERE to access your copy for free.
I know that 2022 can be your watershed year–your year of living in the Miracle Zone where your deepest heart’s desires really do come true. It’s your time!
Marci Shimoff is a #1 NY Times bestselling author, a world-renowned transformational teacher, and an expert on happiness, success and unconditional love. Her NY Times bestselling books Happy for No Reason, Love for No Reason and six titles in the Chicken Soup for the Woman’s Soul series have sold more than 16 million copies and are translated in 33 languages. She’s also a featured teacher in The Secret and narrator of the award-winning movie, Happy. She currently co-leads a global online program called Your Year of Miracles to help people live more miraculous lives. www.HappyforNoReason.com & www.youryearofmiracles.com