How many times have you made a New Year Resolution? And how many times have you kept it? How about a New Year Vision?
That might be an entirely different story.
New Year Resolutions may not always work, and it’s not because you’re a weak person, or someone who is unwilling to change. They don’t work well because they don’t engage the Reticular Activating System (RAS), or the bundle of nerves at the base of your brain that filters out unnecessary information in favor of the data you need to succeed.
If you buy a new red Honda, the RAS is responsible for “showing” you other red Hondas on the road. It’s also the system responsible for helping you to hear your name when someone whispers it, even in a noisy crowded room.
When you focus on something, your RAS generates a custom filter for that thing and delivers information related to it directly to your conscious mind. If you create a state of mind in which you feel as if you’ve already experienced something, then your RAS goes into high alert, bringing you even more information and opportunities related to your goals.
Let’s learn about how you can harness the power of the RAS to make this your best year yet!
Your New Year Vision Made Reality
If you’ve spent any amount of time with Essence of Being, you’re aware of the power of visioning and positive thinking. What you focus on expands, and when you focus on what you want (rather than on what you don’t want), then your purpose is made reality.
New Year Resolutions have some of this in the bag. They do encourage us to set goals and imagine ourselves as happier, more fulfilled people. However, something is missing. They focus on the journey (more trips to the gym, more coupon clipping, more reaching out to friends) rather than on results. When we make New Year Resolutions, we tend to focus on the first step, rather than on our arrival.
This could be a problem because this type of thinking doesn’t have longevity. We’re not asking our brains to envision ourselves as having accomplished those goals, so our Reticular Activating Systems aren’t firing at full capacity. We’re only guessing at how good success might feel, instead of really experiencing it.
You can change that in two simple steps:
- Conduct a Burning Bowl Ceremony. This is all about letting go of what didn’t work for you in the previous year. On paper, write down the things that resulted in negative thinking, or brought you down, or caused progress to slow or stop. Then burn that paper! Do it alone or do it with friends. Either way, it may be just what you need to let go of those things that have not served you.
- Write your New Year Vision Statement. This is not a New Year Resolution. A New Year Resolution refers to what you will accomplish. A New Year Vision refers to what you have already accomplished, in the past tense. It will be written as if it’s next December, and you’re reflecting on what phenomenal things happened over the course of the year. For instance: This has been a year to remember! I lost 25 pounds, I picked up three new major clients, and I took that trip to Saint Martin. Post your vision in a place where you’ll see it on a daily basis.
How is this different from the typical New Year Resolution?
Your state of mind when you’re writing the New Year Vision is one of fulfillment, meaning you will naturally make choices that lead you back to that. In your mind, you’ve already experienced (envisioned) what success will feel like, and you’ll want to experience it again. With a resolution, you might just be guessing at something you think will lead you in the right direction.
When you write a New Year Vision as something that already happened, in the past tense, you will immerse yourself in feelings of accomplishment so you can effortlessly make the kind of choices that will lead to that circumstance. By writing it in this way, your mind can accept that it’s already happened. And so—you guessed it—it’s more likely to happen (“again”).
Your RAS will be educated about where you will arrive, and it will filter out options that won’t move you toward your goal. It will also highlight those things that will serve your vision. And most exciting, you’ll notice that opportunities come to you with far less effort than in the past. That’s because what you put out to The Universe will be delivered. Your biggest challenge might be recognising those opportunities as life-changing and taking advantage of them without hesitation.
It’s a whole different way of thinking about accomplishment in the coming year. By creating a New Year Vision, you will fully embody and genuinely feel what it’s like to reach your goals. You will train your brain to lead you there, without the need for willpower and without abandoning your resolution.
You can include whatever you’d like in your New Year Vision. Physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, financial…nothing is off limits, as long as it serves your higher purpose, has your best interest in mind, and has the potential to create win/win situations.
Will you make this the year you write a New Year Vision to move you forward? Know that Essence of Being is here to support that vision and to guide you every step of the way. One way that is being accomplished is through the Conscious Leadership Academy. You, too, can be part of this global movement of conscious leaders who are empowering others to create a win/win world. Learn more about the Conscious Leadership Academy here.
