5 Steps to Make Change Stick

[dc]H[/dc]appy New Year! It’s January, and we all know what that means — resolutions. Want a better chance of making them stick this year? Here are five important things to remember:

1. Clear space to welcome in the new. So you want to make some changes. First things first: Stop and evaluate if you have the space available in your life to welcome in these new hopes and goals. Is there anything standing in your way or occupying that part of your life already? If you’re bogged down with clutter (and when considering this, remember to consider all types of clutter — physical, spiritual, and emotional), there’s no room for your dreams to manifest.Let’s say you’re running a business from your home and you’re interested in increasing your profit. When is the last time you cleaned out your filing cabinet? Looking for love in 2012? How often are you stalking your ex on Facebook? If you don’t create the space for change, it’s not going to work hard to squeeze its way into your life. If the idea of adding another client folder to your filing cabinet is aggravating because your hands get cut up trying to shove new ones in there, you are energetically keeping business away. If

1. you’re stalking your ex, sleeping under the same blankets you did as a couple, or being a support system for their new relationship,they are occupying your relationship seat, and no new love wants to sit on their lap!There are a lot of ways to quickly and easily remove physical and emotional clutter from your life. For example, set an appointment in your calendar to clean out old files. Don’t think of it as a waste of time, or that you have more important things to do. Consider it a strategic marketing move because that’s exactly what it is. Arrange a pick-up from a charitable organization to give you a deadline to purge clothes, household items, books, CDs, DVDs, etc. I recently did this with the Epilepsy Foundation. It takes less than five minutes on their website to to initiate a pick-up. Click here to schedule yours.To clear the relationship area of your life, take 15 minutes to conduct a silent visualization and cord cutting ritual to finally say “sayonara” to your ex and his or her energy. To do so, follow these simple steps:

• Find a place where you won’t be interrupted or distracted.
• Get comfortable, and take a few deep, cleansing breaths. Feel your feet on the floor, your butt on the chair. Feel your shoulders relax with each exhale.
• Repeat until you feel as centered as possible.
• With your eyes closed, picture a cord running between yourself and your ex (or your father, your friend, your old boss, whomever it may be sitting in that seat). If you’re having trouble seeing it, take a few more breaths.
• Describe to yourself what the cord looks like. How long is it? How thick? What color is it? Is it dangly and loose, or stiff and taut? What is the consistency like?
• Once you have a good, clear image in your head, now is when you want to cut the cord. You may choose to imagine the hand of God coming down and cutting it. Some like to call upon Archangel Michael to come with his sword of light to sever the connection. Choose a symbol that works for you.
• Once the cut is made, visualize the cords being sent up into a beam of light to transition into love and peace.
• And so it is.

1. A high-quality life often has a lot more to do with what you remove from it than what you add to it. Now that you’ve created the space to welcome in the new, it’s time for some action.
2. Baby steps, baby steps, baby steps. We all know that trying to go from no exercise to resolving to workout five days a week is a recipe for disaster, but what people often forget is that any small action toward change stirs up the energy and shows the Universe that you’re serious this time. As you think about the shifts you want to make, brainstorm the small steps you can start with. For example, if you resolve to improve your financial health in 2012, you can start by setting up a system to make bill paying easy. If that feels too big, you can start by getting in the habit of sorting your mail as soon as you bring it in the house, recycling what can be discarded and organizing what needs your attention. Either of these steps puts positive energy toward your goal of abundance. If the action step you’ve come up with feels overwhelming or you find yourself avoiding it, it’s simply an indication that it’s too big. Break it down even further. Sometimes you’ll need to break down the steps to what seems like a ridiculously small move. It’s all good. Any action is good action, and what’s really cool is that these very small steps have a total snowball effect. The more little moves you make, the faster the energy builds and you get into the flow. The more often we show up to our side of the Universal Dance, the sooner she steps back, and before you know it, you’ll be tangoing your way to success!
3. See your resistance for what it is. When you find yourself coming up with all sorts of convincing reasons why you can have “just one cookie”, or that you don’t have time to start your meditation practice today, or you’ll set aside time tomorrow to look at your bills, remember that your ego’s main goal is to keep you right where you are. Even if the change you want to make is for the better, because it is something different, it’s an automatic ‘No’ for your ego. Instead of battling against this procrastination or resistance, see it for what it is — a fearful child. This young part of you simply needs reassurance that you’re not running away and abandoning it as you move toward change. He or she needs to know that you have every intention of taking him or her along with you to a healthier, happier life. As you create a new habit, be sure to incorporate space and time for your inner child to acclimate as you go. This may mean taking a break from all the adult action and spending some time playing. By partnering with your resistance and seeing it for what it is, you can come together to form an incredibly powerful team.
4. Seek the right support. A key to success in making any kind of change is support. Find a safe, encouraging, and healthy person to support you, cheer you on, hold you accountable, and offer fresh insights. Be very selective when choosing this person or these people. Some people in your life may not like the idea of you making a change as it becomes a mirror for them and highlights what they’re not doing. You want to have someone who is in it for your highest good and can act as your mold when you’re feeling a bit shaky. This person may be a friend, family member, therapist, coach, sponsor, etc. Just remember — choose wisely. We can start by supporting one another below. Share, in the comments, what your hopes and dreams are for 2012 and how you plan to use these steps to get you there!
5. Revisit and revise. You may find, as the year rolls on, that the goals you set in January aren’t quite the right fit anymore. This is great progress! This realization alone speaks to wonderful forward movement in becoming more and more connected to who you are at a soul-level. Maybe you’ve come to see that the resolutions you set were ones you thought you “should” instead of ones that really mattered to you. Consider this a success! Just because it’s no longer January doesn’t mean you can’t revise your intentions and dreams and start from where you’re at. Just like seeing your resistance for what it is, this is an opportunity to practice loving kindness toward yourself and acknowledge the clarity that allowed you to realize a goal is no longer for you.

While taking all of this into consideration, remember to be gentle on yourself. No healthy and permanent change comes from a self-punitive place. The more you can connect deeply and truly feel love for yourself, the easier change will come to you.

May 2012 be the best yet!

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