New Year, New Possibilites, & Overcoming the Same Fears [EXPERT]

The only thing that stays the same is change. When we begin to see our lives as being routine, then any deviation from the way it's always been done can cause panic. Take New Year's Resolutions for example. If you have not consistently followed through on achieving your resolutions from previous years, then why start now?

Many people make the mistake of creating resolutions with no idea how or what skills they'll need to achieve their results.

We are always changing, just as our relationships are always in a state of transformation. When we make resolutions, they are often for things that have caused us pain or discomfort in the past. Once we make a resolution, then we have to ask ourselves 3 things. And after we ask ourselves the following questions, then we have to make a plan to follow through on these 3 things.

1. Identify small steps. What are the things we can do today, next week, and next month to get one step closer to our resolution? Identifying what the small steps are so we can do things differently or learn something new will give us concrete actions to do on a routine basis.

2. Celebrate small achievements. What will you do to celebrate the small wins? How will you know when you've achieved each of the small wins? Identify what you will do to celebrate so you keep your motivation up.

3. Find someone who teaches, encourages, and holds you accountable. Who will you go to for support, new ideas, troubleshooting, to learn new skills, and receive motivation? Remember to choose someone who can be objective. Who can identify with you, and help you through setbacks, to get from point A (the New Year and it's possibilities worth pursuing) to point B (the end of 2012 and achieving your resolutions for 2012)!

The more we're able to embrace change, the easier it is for us to have healthy relationships. When we get over our fears, and ask for help to learn better ways, then we begin to embrace the changes we go through with joy, rather than trepidation. When we have help working through what is holding us back from achieving our full potential, then we not only gain a better understanding of ourselves and others, but we also begin to treat ourselves and others with greater compassion and uncondtional love. And, we begin to see each possibility as a call to celebrate each one of our small victories on our paths to enlightenment and growth. Identifying what we need to do to overcome obstacles, and then overcoming and celebrating each defeat...that sounds to me like a year full of lots of joy and parties!