You make New Year’s resolutions. You start off really well, sticking to them no matter what. You feel super empowered by this new you. But life likes to challenge those who want to change! Work gets busy. The alarm doesn’t go off. You have a fight with your partner. Your inner demons appear out of the blue. Moments of laziness. Clever excuses. Convenient forgetfulness.

 

The old habits start calling you. They feel familiar. They are cozy. Before you know it, you are back where you started.

 

And this happens every year, right?

The thing is, real change happens from the inside out. Here are the 5 inner steps you need to take to build willpower and manifest your resolutions. For good.

 

1. Why do people make New Year’s resolutions?

When not stuck to, a resolution is just a fantasy. It’s fictional. Residing in a realm other than ours. It has wings but no feet. A lot of people, when they make resolutions, are just daydreaming, really.

 

To ground YOUR dream in reality, answer this: WHY this resolution? Why do you want to change careers? Find love? Lose weight? Is it about pleasing others? Or, meeting socially-imposed success standards? If yes, your resolutions won’t survive.

 

Why do YOU want to make this resolution happen?

 

It doesn’t matter if yours is the best new year’s resolution ever. Or the most interesting or challenging. What matters is your true personal WHY. Your honest and heartfelt answer will be the anchor that holds you in place, even during emotional storms.

 

Your why should come from a clear heart.

 

2. What percentage of New Year’s resolutions fail?

Unless you make your resolution serve your soul purpose, you’ll increase the already high percentage of failure (according to Google, it’s at 92% already!) So, if your New Year’s resolution is something that doesn’t fit with your larger goals, it’ll be the first to get discarded when the going gets tough. Ask yourself, where does your resolution fit with your overall life purpose?

 

Puzzles don’t have extra pieces.

 

Be brutally honest. And rational. If starting a new business is your big goal, then working less can’t be your resolution. Like in a puzzle, there’s gotta be a match between pieces. If you force the pieces in where they don’t belong, the edges will tear and crease, and your puzzle will look psychedelic.

 

Your purpose should come from a cohesive soul.

 

3. How do people – the successful 8% – make resolutions stick?

They do it with a determined, detail-oriented mind. They make to do lists, create step-by-step plans, consult whoever is necessary, do research, and enter goals and projected dates in an organizer. They use task management software, a white board and a marker, or just a notebook. So you too should do whatever makes you see each step ahead of you clearly.

 

Potential obstacles can be turned into sources of inspiration for success.

 

Your lists and plans should include Plan B and if possible, even a Plan C. This way, you’ll have buffers against failures, detours, and unexpected events.

 

Your practice should come from a determined mind.

 

 4. How often should you check your progress?

Daily? Weekly? Monthly? Checking your progress wheneverly won’t help – commit to a schedule that you know you can make work. For example, if your goal is to find love through dating sites, you’ve got to commit to browsing online profiles every day. Set a number that’ll work for you and send messages to that many people every day or week. Allocate a certain amount of time to this task every day. Build it into your schedule.

 

Your how often should come from disciplined willpower. 

 

 5. How do you handle the unexpected?

What if, despite all your best efforts, things still just don’t go as planned? Or they do, but a part of you just wants to rebel? The self-control required to manifest your resolution is just too much and you are dying to throw in the towel! Don’t be surprised.

 

Instead, give your ego a say.

You might be like that caterpillar who thinks the world is over. The pressure might be taxing for your ego. So just vent out. Share your doubts with people. It’s okay to be vulnerable. It’s actually good to be vulnerable. It’s part of transformation. You keep doing your part and the universe will do its.

 

Your what-ifs should come from genuine vulnerability.  

 

Resolutions are for us to grow. They are for us to look back and see how much we transformed. Resolutions aren’t the end-goal. They give us something to work with and make us better people.

 

Kasamba

Find your way to love and happiness. Talk to a psychic now.