Will your new year REALLY be new?

What will be NEW for you in 2004?

Everyone says “Happy New Year!” It’s on its way, a whole new 366 days that haven’t happened before. Some people take full advantage of them, but too many people just re-run a previous year – same work, same relationships, same list of “one day I’ll …”.

Avoid insanity

Albert Einstein is quoted as defining INSANITY as doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

What are you going to do differently this year? To get different results, you may need a different process.

Effective New Years resolutions

Some people make New Years resolutions like:

• I’ll eat/drink less.
• I’ll work harder.

Resolutions are nice ideas, but if they’re not written in terms of specific, detailed outcomes, they probably won’t support the changes you’d like to make.

What’s your ideal December 2004?

Forget the resolutions! Before you start indulging in too much food or too much drink, what about indulging in your dreams of fulfillment?

Give yourself the Christmas present of dreaming time, even if it’s just 1 hour. Sit down with a pen and paper (or a PC) and describe your ideal 2004. Get really specific about December 24th, 2004:

• Where you are?
• Who are you with?
• What are you doing?
• How does your body look and feel?
• What has changed most since December 2003?
• What did you achieve during 2004?
• What happened that was beyond your wildest dreams?

Pretend you’re there. Write in the present tense – say “I have…”. Use positive descriptions “I now weigh only …”.

Children of the past

If you’re over 30, you’re a child or grand-child of World War II,  and quite possibly a great grandchild of the trenches of World War I and the shortages of the Depression. You may have been given lots of instructions about appreciating what you have, and making the most of your opportunities. Some people in this situation have trouble hearing themselves over their parents voices.

If you can’t free up your dreamer working alone, maybe you’d like to give yourself three hours of absolute self-indulgence for Christmas?

Over two 1½ hour sessions, identify and refine your PURPOSE and clarify your VISION for a great future. This small investment in designing your life could make a big difference to your experience of December 2004.

These two sessions from our DESIGN-A-LIFE™ programme use fun, easy, well-structured  creative activities to give you new ways of thinking about what you want in detail, so you can work out how best to get it.

If you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you’ve always got. If you’d like something more in 2004, it’s time to start designing it NOW! Go on, be greedy …. (for fulfillment and happiness, not just comfort and achievement)