Are you tired of starting the New Year with the same old goals as last year, goals that never seemed to manifest? As 2006 begins, take a new approach to goal-setting and ask the question that will have you feeling better about your life, than you ever have before. You’ll end your year on a HIGH NOTE and love the journey along the way. The question?

How do I wish to FEEL about my life this year?

I was working with a client who was ready to make BIG changes in his life. As he sat across the table from me, looking beaten-down and worn-out, I asked him what his goals were for the New Year. He couldn’t answer and I could tell, life had gotten the best of him.

Then I asked him, “How do you want to FEEL about your life this year?” He looked up at me and said, “I’ve never thought about how I want to feel about my life. I just do what I need to do and go from there.” As we sat together he became animated as he expressed his wish to “feel good”, “be happy”, “be at peace”, and “on track”. As he envisioned his life feeling “purposeful, happy, peaceful and on track”, he began feeling better. He got a sparkle in his eyes. He sat straighter. As if by magic, the life started pouring back into him when he realized honoring his desire to “feel good” was a smart strategy for creating a life that felt more like the person he wanted to be.

Honoring the way you wish to feel about your life naturally begs the question, “What can I do (what goals could I set or activities could I do) to bring about the emotional state I desire?”

For example, Mary wants to lose weight and sets a goal to do so. She begins working out, reducing her caloric intake and no doubt, depriving herself. How long does she stick with it?

Or, Mary could take another approach. She could reflect on her desire to lose weight and ask herself why this is so important to her. Her answer? She wants to FEEL GOOD about her body. She then sets a goal reflective of her desire to FEEL GOOD about her body and comes up with: I appreciate and honor the body I have.

Can you see the difference in each approach? The first approach certainly gets Mary to take action but does it really improve the relationship she has with her body? And, isn’t that what Mary really wants, to FEEL GOOD about her body?

Mary’s goal to “appreciate and honor her body” is a truer reflection of the emotional state she’s looking for in regards to her body. She’s tired of feeling “bad” and she wants to feel GOOD. Losing weight was what she thought she needed to do to feel better but upon closer examination she realized what she really wants is to feel better about her body NOW, regardless of whether or not she loses weight.

The next step for Mary is to ask herself what she can do to honor and appreciate her body. For Mary this may include eating less, walking outside, and getting more rest. Not only would doing these things help Mary fulfill her commitment to honor and appreciate her body, she’d probably lose weight too!

Page 1 of 2 :: First | Last :: Prev | 1 2 | Next