Six weeks into 2023

Six weeks into the new year, if you're like most people, you have already swept your New Year’s goals under the rug and given up on them.?

You are fully aware that that is the wrong attitude to have, and it is not the time to give up. Your goals and dreams are important, and it is time to get to work.

Maybe your goals included losing weight, getting out of debt, repairing an old relationship (or starting a new one), or even starting your own business. Well, know this! I am absolutely certain you can achieve your goals and more!?

You might be wondering...

• Why do we lose track of time and eventually let go of our hopes and dreams?
• Are we insincere when the goals are set and we simply lose interest?
• Do we really intend to continue living a frustrating and confining lifestyle?
• Is it really our intention to continue in a life style where we feel stuck?
• I do not think so. We live our lives by a set of beliefs, or paradigms, that are always with us.?

These are beliefs that we have developed over time to help us define the world and our place in it. The biggest mistake we often make is to underestimate the power of our ingrained beliefs and their ability to limit our ideas of what is possible in life.?

When we set resolutions or goals that challenge these paradigms, we are frequently doomed to failure, yet we don't understand why.?

I want to tell you a story that I heard years ago about a young man who moved to the desert. He decided that he wanted a nice green lawn and bought several gallons of green paint. He then painted the dirt in front of his house bright green. When asked why, he replied, "Because everyone knows you can't grow grass in the desert."?

His neighbors laughed behind closed doors as every few months, the man painted his dirt again to brighten his "lawn." Each time someone would ask why he did it, and each time he would say, "Because everyone knows you can't grow grass in the desert."?

Finally, one neighbor took pity on the man. He pulled him aside and asked, "What is the number one sport in Las Vegas?"

The young man thought for a moment. "Golf."

"And where is Las Vegas?"

"In the desert."

"Then why have you never planted grass?"

"Because you can't grow..." The young man paused.

"Grass in the desert?"?

Our beliefs are not logical; in fact, they often go against logic and will hurt us when we try to prove them wrong. This is the reason that we so often set resolutions only to find that another year has passed and nothing in our lives has changed—we're still painting dirt! Change is within our grasp, but it necessitates two steps.

Think about establishing a new pattern this year.

How would it feel to wake up on January 1st, 2024, knowing that you adhered to all of your resolutions and objectives for a full year?

You can do this; all you have to do is swap out your old paradigms for new ones that support your identity, mission, and objectives.

This is the year to confront the paradigms and limiting beliefs that have been keeping you from your deepest dreams and desires. Don't simply "wish" that things had turned out differently as you reflect on a previous year. In order to make it happen, decide now. That power is yours. I implore you to stop covering up the mess in your life, alter your outlook, and sow the seeds of transformation.