Do your New Year's resolutions look something like this?
- Get fit
- Eat healthier
- Drink less
- Get better grades
If they do, you are definitely not alone. Most people make a laundry list of very broad to-do's as the end of the year approaches. Although, come mid January, these are often forgotten, and without fail most slip back into old routines. Why is this? Why is it so hard to stick with resolutions?
Well, when you break it down, what is the motivation behind each list item? Is it really because you want to eat healthier for the heck of it? Or is there something more? What I have come to discover, and I give full credit to The Desire Map (by Danielle LaPorte) for this, is that we are ultimately seeking the feeling we expect these goals will give us. That is the motivation. We don't want to just get fit, we want to feel lighter, more vibrant, accomplished, productive, proud, beautiful, sexy, attractive. We don't just want to drink less, we want to feel more present, grounded, motivated, healthier, focused.
If you break down any goal on your list, you can ultimately get to the root feeling that is below the surface.
So, this year Luca and I decided to set our goals differently, in reverse you could say. We got cozy in a coffee shop (If you live in the Fraser Valley, you must check out Old Hand in Abbotsford!) with our note pads and chai lattes and dove into it.
The Method:
Make a list of every positive feeling word that resonates with you for 2016
Think about how you really want to feel this year, and write it down! This list of positive feeling words is from a chapter of The Desire Map called The Magnetics of Feelings. I have shared a link to a .pdf of this chapter here
We went through the list below and wrote down every single feeling that resonated with us on our pad of paper.
Narrow your list down to 10 positive feelings
Next step is to read through your list a couple of times and pick the top ten words that stand out to you. Re-write your list so it is only these 10 words.
Narrow your list down to 5 positive feelings
Have another good look at this list and try and narrow it down to 5 words. The 5 feelings that you envision your perfect 2016 being full of.
Now under each item, make a list of what you will do to feel this way
What sort of activities or actions will bring you to feel more of these 5 desired feelings. Make a list!
Now I want to know... how do you want to feel in 2016 and what are you going to do to feel that way? Let me know in the comments below!
XO
Amelia