New Year's Resolutions Don't Work! Or do they?

Are you tired of making lists: things to do, goals to make, promises to keep...? I am. It seems it never ends and there's always another list to make. So, I decided to take a good, honest look at why I haven't lost the weight, made the money or gone on the trip.

This is what I discovered. I've accomplished far more than I had thought, but there are still important milestones I've yet to reach. So, what is the difference between what I have accomplished and what I have not?

At first I thought it was a matter of belief. But I truly do know I can lose five pounds, make more money, and go on a vacation, because I've done that all before. So I looked again at my list of what I've done and what I haven't done--and something jumped out at me with serious "aha" velocity.

The single distinguishing factor between my lists was that on one I had let go of my old ideas about how to do something and tried something new. Where I was stuck in the mud, I was holding on to how I've always done it. So, it was no surprise that what hadn't worked in the past still did not.

And so, I have made an Ultimate Resolution that I believe will change my life. I am open and receptive to all possibilities. That means never saying (or thinking) I can't do that, I'm too old for that, I don't have enough money for that...and so on. It means never dismissing any idea just because it challenges my comfort zone.

In the past year, just changing my attitude about social networking (that it's only for kids) has revolutionized my business. And once I decided that I would just play around with it, suddenly it wasn't so hard to navigate the websites. The know-how seemed to come to me in all sorts of ways: tips online, people who knew how to do it, and my relaxed attitude about it all seemed to make the instructions easier to follow.

Several business strategies I wanted to employ but hadn't because of the costs become possible when I decided that I'd find a way to do it without spending the money. Suddenly people who could provide what I needed showed up and wanted to partner with me for an exchange of services.

Do you see how simply opening your mind to all possibilities can change your whole world? No big visible big effort needed, just an ongoing gentle reminder to yourself not to reject anything or anyone without first looking with open eyes and open mind.

How many opportunities have you dismissed just because it didn't fit your current view of reality? The only reality is that things change, so why not go with the flow instead of resisting?

Say it out loud. "I am open and receptive to all possibilities."

Doesn't that feel good? Much better than "I can't," which makes you feel yucky. And it applies to everything on your to-do list and goals sheet.

Join me this year in a creative thinking exercise. What's really holding you back from achieving what you want? The circumstance, or how you think about the circumstance? Let's all employ the Ultimate Resolution--I am open and receptive to all possibilities--and meet back in a year to tell our stories. ###

I intend to make Shelley's "Ultimate Resolution" my own this year. I challenge you to do the same. For more info about The Wordy Woman, Shelley's bio is below.

Let's talk about how to make the "Ultimate Resolution" work for you in a free exploratory consultation.

Click here and email me to set up a phone consultation.

Shelley Lieber is the author and creator of 4Ps to Publishing Success Products™ and founder of VIP Authors and Visual Impressions Book & Fine Art Publishing. She combines her background in writing, editing, marketing and public relations to help writers and artists. Subscribe to her free weekly newsletter at http://wordywoman.com.