As 2009 comes to a close, is it possible you're contemplating change?  Maybe you're thinking it's time for a new job, a new relationship, a new city?  So, you quit your job because the boss is a "jerk," or you call your relationship quits (again), or you move across the country with the hope of a fresh start. With each of these new circumstances, you'll certainly experience change.  However, will you have the new reality that you so desperate seek?  Or will you end up the same person you always were - one who has simply exchanged one set of circumstances for another?   

 

Real change may involve a change of external circumstances.  However, it most certainly requires an internal change, one that asks you to look inward to discover what it is about you that keeps you, for example, finding these "jerky" kinds of bosses.  Changing the internals requires letting go of the behaviors, beliefs, assumptions and attitudes of yourself and others that keep causing your relationships to end badly. And, whether you're in Wilmington, North Carolina or on your way to Fairbanks, Alaska, if you haven't challenged the internal things that hold you to the past, you're not really going anywhere different - you're still the same you.  

 

If you're ready for a new you, here are some suggestions:

1) Dedicate some time to rediscovering you - spend time alone getting reacquainted with yourself (not in front of the TV!).  

2) Challenge your values & beliefs:  Are your values & beliefs supporting you in becoming the person you truly want to be, or is it time to reconsider those beliefs and maybe adopt new ones that are consistent with what you know is right? 

3) Is your behavior honoring those values and beliefs? 

4) If not, what obstacles are getting in the way?

5) What will you do about them?

6) Look down the road and anticipate the new you.  How will you celebrate your changes?

 

The year is ending - an occassion to review and assess who we are and how we are living our lives.  What internal changes will you choose in 2010?