Roman god Janus

Here we are at the start of a new year, when everything feels fresh and possible! It is the time when we traditionally set those New Year’s Resolutions, hoping that this year we’ll finally follow through.  So why is it that within the first month, nearly 90% of all people have abandoned them? What if there was a way you could exponentially increase the likelihood of your resolutions being successful?

Very simply, when we set our resolutions because we think we “should” do something, we will never be able to stick with it. It feels like resistance and that feeling is your clue to the fact that you are not heading toward what you want. Resistance feels like contraction, not expansion.

The Romans had, in their mythology, a god named Janus who was depicted with two faces–one looking back and the other looking forward. He was the god of gates or doorways, of beginnings and endings and transitions. He looked back into the past and forward into the future. It is from this Roman god we get the name of our first month of the new year, January. So let’s take a cue from Janus, and begin our new year by reflecting on the past year.

The crucial key here is HOW we reflect. Most people look back and notice all the things they didn’t accomplish in an effort to see where to make improvements. This tactic puts your attention on all the things you don’t want, and as we know from the Law of Attraction, what you focus your attention on gets bigger.

And how does it feel to focus on what you perceive as failings and shortcomings? Not too good! So right away, you find yourself beating yourself up and setting your intentions for the coming year from a place that is not a vibrational match to what you hope to accomplish this new year.  Your feelings are your indicator as to whether you are heading in the direction of your goals or away from them. Nothing you want will come to you when you are feeling bad about yourself or your situation. 

I would suggest instead, that you reflect upon the past year in terms of your successes.

What went right for you? What things did you experience that were fun or loving? Your successes don’t have to be what society would view as major accomplishments. You decide what a success is for you. It can be anything from having a more positive attitude at work to landing a big promotion. We tend to limit ourselves when we think of successes. A huge success may be consciously feeling more inner peace or handling a difficult situation with grace.

Think back on the past year with thoughts of gratitude. When you really take some quiet time alone to be reflective from this point of view, you will be amazed at how far you have grown. The mere fact that you are reflecting is an indicator of your growth.  As you ponder your successes, think about this:

Remember how you felt before you began an activity that turned out to be a success.
Before you started, what did you imagine the end result to be? Did you have a clear picture of the end you wanted in mind?

Chances are, you felt really good in some way–excited, happy, delighted.  You were able to imagine the outcome turning out just as you desired.

From this point of feeling good, it is time to set your intentions for the coming year. Use the areas you have noticed improvement in and see if you can stretch even more in that direction.  Consider these questions:

• What would excite you?

• What would you find joy in doing?

• How would you like to arrange your life to be more supportive of you in the coming year?

• In what ways can you empower yourself?

• What will serve your higher purpose?

If you come from a place of well-being, with the end clearly in mind, you will stick with your intentions because they feel delightful to you.  Visualize them clearly in your mind as if they have already happened. And when you visualize them, use all your senses – see it, touch it, taste it, hear it, smell it. Spend some time “living” the feelings of having accomplished your goals. 

And always listen to your inner guidance. Does it feel good? Perhaps the best resolution you could set would be to love yourself more and stretch for better feeling thoughts. Then you will be a match to anything you desire.