So, how are your New Year’s goals coming along?

On the first of January, I write down my hopes and goals I hope to reach by year’s end. So far, I am making some progress. Three of my goals are to reduce the amount of food that is wasted, becoming science experiments and thrown out, pay off a big debt and to release those old patterns that keep me from moving forward. The rest I don’t totally remember as I misplaced that paper I wrote them down on.

Maybe I recall these three because progress has been made. That one debt has been repaid. As for the food, statistically we throw away 25% of our food. That adds up to $1000s a year. I am putting a greater effort to use up what I/we made and purchased so that throwaways are minimal. I am challenged by what I can remake with what is in the fridge and pantry. I call it refrigerator surprise. I can see the progress on that one.

The last one, releasing old patterns, is showing the most progress. With my opportunities working with a group of people in the healing arts, I am feeling much freer. I call it onion therapy. As one layer is released, another layer is ready for peeling. Sometimes, the pain of history is difficult and I grieve.  Grieving is part of the healing process. Since I put that out to the universe, it is making good on me following through with it. And so it is.

As the days fly by, what we wrote out on January 1 can get lost. What I am doing now is on the day of the new moon, I am writing down those goals down, maybe in a more bite-sized version. They seem more attainable. Carrying them forward keeps them more front and center to keep my focus instead of embracing that “what’s the use?” Maybe I changed my mind about that initial goal and either refine it or let it go. I can more readily see the accomplishment, putting some oomph into it.

Then in even smaller action steps, I write down my to-do list every few days. That is one that I can accomplish much easier and I don’t feel so overwhelmed. It also has a better success rate.

If anyone has read “The Secret” about how to attain what you want/prefer, it is about intention. Focus on your intention and it shall come to you. I have seen some people figuratively sit in their chairs praying, wishing and envisioning those riches to roll in. An example is when someone prays and envisions winning that lottery, imaging those funds rolling right into their checkbook. Then you ask if they bought that lottery ticket… No, it just is going to happen as long as I believe. What is missing is that action step, or a series of action steps to get there. Action steps reinforce that intention. Goals are so important to mindfully create as a way to move our lives forward toward more meaning.

Writing down those goals/dreams without setting out doable action steps remain just that: goals and dreams. Achieving is doing it step by step, sometimes just those tiny steps add up to moving us forward much quicker. If I wrote down I want to clean the whole living room, it can be overwhelming. By putting down the steps to accomplish that, it is much easier and step by step, it becomes done. Success.

Find a dream, a goal. Work forward or backwards to get to that finish line. Sometimes, I do image that goal then say in order for that to happen, this has to happen; before I can do that, I need to do that and so on until I can get started.

Pick something that is important to you. Even if you write down the tiny steps of the journey, it can build that momentum to accomplishment then onto the next one. I am rooting for you!