Does this scenario sound familiar to you?  You sit down at the start of every year and write down your new year resolutions with every intention to make them happen.  And then somehow the year passes and your resolutions get forgotten.  In fact, if you look back, your resolutions are almost identical every year for as long as you can remember!

Two years ago, I finally came to terms with the fact that writing my resolutions was just not working for me.  So, I decided to do something different.  AND I am happy to report that there is a huge improvement not only in the outcome but most importantly in how I feel about my year.

Here are the 3 things you need to do this year to make your resolutions really work for you!

1. Set intentions not resolutions

Instead of asking yourself “What do I want or need to do in the coming year?” and come up with an action, ask yourself first ““Who do I wish to be in the coming year?”  and come up with a meaning you can really connect to, and which will be the driver for all your actions during the year

From there, take a few moments in the morning every day to sit quietly before moving into the day’s activity. This is your time to breath, check in with yourself and repeat your intentions, taking a pause between each one to let the intention find its place inside you.  You will find that each intention goes to a different place within you every day, giving rise to a new response of action

Instead of telling myself “I want to lose 5 kilos” I asked myself “What is my intention from losing weight?  What does losing weight really mean for me?”  And the answer for me was “I want to be health and feel energetic”.  Whereas the first approach was for me a source of sacrifice and stress, the second approach was about positively making better choices and embracing the type of energy I wanted to have.  One day, the action might be to make a healthy choice for lunch at the restaurant, another day it might be to go for a 30 min walk, another day it might be to eat fruits and go to the gym

2. Practice DAILY affirmations

Affirmations are clear, positive statements, in the present tense, that encapsulate what you want to create as part of your resolutions.  Write them down, connect with them, and repeat them out in a loud voice to yourself every single morning.

Here are my affirmations for this year.  May they serve to inspire you as you create your own:

• I am healthy and energetic
• I am surrounded by blessings, abundance and strength
• I am creating a happy and connected life with my family every day
• God has created me naturally creative, resourceful and whole
• I choose love, joy and freedom, open my heart and I allow wonderful things to flow into my life
• I am fully present and up to face whatever God chooses to give me
• I have all the positive energy I need to achieve great things today
• I meet challenges calmly, remembering that I am in control of my life
• I am powerful and successful.  YES, I CAN !
• I am a light that will inspire the positive change I want to see in Egypt
• I am true to myself.  I do things that fill me with purpose and passion or not at all !

3. Create a vision board for the year

“Where you focus your attention, energy flows.  Where energy flows, life grows”.  That is exactly why vision boards work miraculously!  Not only that, but they are extremely inspiring and fun to create !

For me, a vision board represents your image of yourself as you are living your intentions every day this year.  How do you visualise yourself as you live your purpose, hopes, dreams and goals for your life that year?  Visualise the picture in your mind then put it into a board that you look at every single day.  It will inspire you, connect you, motivate you and help you refocus your attention on your circles of control and influence!

I have two vision boards.  A permanent one that represents how I visualise myself fulfilling my life purpose, and an annual one that represents how I see myself every year

May the coming year bring us all abundance, blessings, gratitude, focus on intentions & impactful presence!