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THE NEW YOU IN THE NEW YEAR

What is the significance of 11:11?

11:11 marks a doorway into a new age of enlightenment, much as the beginning of a New Year marks a doorway to new opportunities to be a new you. The 11:11 represents two pillars supporting the temple of knowledge. We are entering the Age of Aquarius - a two-thousand-year period where mankind will be discovering the truth as it unfolds within the heart and mind of each individual. Part of this process of seeking and learning the truth involves the precept of "know thyself, and to thine own self be true." In other words, this is a time of self-discovery, because the truth lies within you and you must abide by your own truth and not rely on the influence of others. Only by entering the temple within will you find the truth that you seek - which has been within you all along. Meditation is a great tool to take you within, and to lead you to the answers that you seek.

You must remember that whenever a question is asked, an answer is given. The key is to ask the right questions, and then to listen and pay attention for the answers, because they can come in any form. It can be most helpful to ask for three clear signs, then watch and listen for them. Remember always that the entire Universe is out to support you and help you to succeed, in fact, it has a vested interest in your success. The prime directive on this planet is the exercise of Free Will, so nothing can come from outside of you unless you allow it and ask for it. Your guides want to help you, and they grow and evolve as you grow and evolve, so serving you serves them also - bringing you joy brings them joy.

The best ways to communicate with your guides are through meditation, trusting your intuition, and paying attention to the signs around you. Your guidance is always trying to communicate with you, and they will use signs to get your attention, such as seeing 11:11 on the clock! So pay attention, and know that the number 4, which is four ones, is the number of the divine, so you are being divinely guided, divinely loved, and divinely blessed.

How do I stick to my resolutions?

Make sure that your goals are reasonable and attainable, and that they are what you really want for yourself, not something you feel like you should do or have to do. Make it fun and enjoyable so that you will really want to do it. It will be more comfortable and easier if you make changes moderately, which will ensure success. Drastic change can be unnecessarily painful and sometimes frightening, which can often lead to sabotage, so don't try to change everything at once. Lasting change occurs one step at a time, one choice at a time.

Commit to one month, taking it one day at a time, using the calendar to cross off each successful day. You may want to put a gold star on the calendar, or on your mirror, for each day you accomplish your goals so you can encourage yourself and visibly see your progress (sometimes results are not so visible or obvious at first, so it is helpful to encourage yourself in a way that you can see). Motivate yourself by setting a great reward for yourself for when you achieve your goal (if it's a really big goal, also give yourself rewards along the way when you reach certain milestones in order to keep you motivated).

If you fall off the wagon, get right back on. Don't give yourself a hard time and feel like you've blown it, which only gives you an excuse to continue blowing it. Let it be okay, forgive yourself (you're human, after all, not perfect), then start again right away. Choose to think only supportive and encouraging thoughts: "I think I can, I think I can", like in The Little Engine That Could.

Be committed, but don't make it a prison, or part of you will rebel if you are too strict and demanding with yourself. You must be encouraging and kind with yourself in order to motivate yourself to succeed. Remember, you are making a lifestyle change - it has to work in your life and for the rest of your life, so don't be too restrictive. The key is to be patient, flexible and loving with yourself every step of the way.

What are resolutions really about?

A resolution is defined as: 1) the act or process of reducing to simpler form: as A): the act of analyzing a complex notion into simpler ones, B): the act of answering: SOLVING, C) the act of determining, D) the progression of a chord from dissonance to consonance; 2) a formal expression of opinion, will or intent voted by an official body or assembled group. (In terms of technology, resolution also refers to clarity.)

In keeping with the above definition, a resolution is about determining that there is a particular problem or dissonance (dis-harmony) that one wants to solve or resolve (resolution) in one's life. Then it is about determining what the solution/resolution is to that problem. The key is to keep it clear and simple. Then you connect with all parts of yourself - mental, emotional, spiritual and physical - and formally express that with all of your will and intent, you are determined to bring harmony to yourself and to your life by solving your problems and resolving your issues in the clearest, simplest, and most committed ways.

I feel like giving up on making resolutions - I never seem to be successful with them, or with reaching any of my goals. What am I doing wrong?

The only thing you are really doing "wrong" is giving up on yourself, and giving up on your goals too soon before you succeed at them. You can never truly fail at anything, unless you fail to try, and fail to persevere. At some point, perseverance will eventually pay off and you will succeed in meeting your goals, but you can't give up or you will certainly never get there. There are always many paths, many choices and many different opportunities to reach any desired destination. If one path you have chosen is not working for you, find another way - make another choice. If it is important enough to you, you will find a way that works for you.

Perhaps the issue is not really about your ability to be successful in reaching your goals, but it may be that you are not choosing goals that are important enough to inspire you to stay committed to them, or you are not making them important enough to stick to. You must ask yourself why you want to set that particular goal or resolution. If you achieve that goal, how will your life be different? Close your eyes and imagine your life with that goal or resolution attained, how does it feel? Is it what you really want? How much do you want it and how important is it to you?

You see, you can only create real change when you are moving toward something, not away from something. You must change because you really want change, or else you will resist it and sabotage it because it's not what you really want. So ask yourself, what is it that you really want to feel and experience once you achieve that goal, then allow yourself to feel that right now and let that feeling motivate you toward your goal. If it is really important to you, don't give up! Keep at it until you succeed, one way or another.

I have a lot of bad habits, how can I break them?

A habit is a rut of repeated patterns of activity that have become so ingrained that they have become unconscious and automatic. The key is to become conscious once again of your power of choice in the moment. Do not focus your mind on what you don't want to do any more, but focus your thoughts on the new patterns that you want to create, and how great they feel. Keep choosing these new patterns, which will become easier and more comfortable for you as they become your new habits after about 21 days.

Any habit, or habitual response, is usually a habitual pattern, and often has other activities around it that support it. You can't really break a habit, but you can choose to replace the patterns with something else that you would consider to be good. For instance, you may have a habit of drinking coffee every morning with your news. If you want to stop drinking coffee (which is one of the worst substances on Earth), you may also want to change the patterns of the triggers that support it, such as the news (which is also one of the worst substances on Earth). So instead of starting your day with the news, you might want to take a walk, or meditate, which would not only break your pattern, but would instill greater well-being all around.

What is the best way to quit smoking?

You must first make a conscious choice to let go of smoking, not because you feel that you have to, but because you really want to. Unless you really want to and decide to quit, it won't work. If you feel that you don't really want to quit, it would be better to just stop the damaging pattern of negative thoughts and judgments, and give yourself permission to do it consciously and without guilt until you are ready. If you are really ready to let it go, then now is a good time to make that decision.

Remember that you must change certain patterns of behavior that are associated with smoking in order to succeed, so examine all of the triggers that drive you to want to smoke, and make a plan for avoiding those triggers, or changing your pattern of response to them. Any time you break a habitual pattern by consciously choosing another action, you take back your power of choice and break the addictive cycle.

You will need to flush the nicotine out of your system, so drink lots of water, and take plenty of deep breaths of fresh air. Every time you want a cigarette, take ten deep breaths and drink a glass of water - this will not only break your pattern, but will also have many health-promoting benefits.

The reason that many people gain weight when they quit smoking is because smoking involves an oral fixation, and food is used as a substitute to occupy the mouth. Therefore, drinking water (not coffee, soda or alcohol, which is merely replacing one addiction with another, and these drinks may be associated with smoking for you) occupies your mouth, has no calories, and flushes toxins out of your body. Taking deep breaths when you want a cigarette gives you air to clean out your lungs, and also creates a sense of calm.

Hypnosis can be a great tool, but is only effective if your commitment is strong already - it is not going to change your mind for you. If you really need to smoke something, you might want to get herbal cigarettes from a health food store - these usually smell and taste so awful that they will break your desire to smoke. If you have smoked very heavily for a number of years, you may want to cut back gradually, eliminating one cigarette per day: take a moment before each cigarette to ask yourself whether you really want it - if yes, give yourself permission, but take three deep breaths first; if no, just put it away and breathe instead.

You must realize that smoking suppresses anger, impatience and frustration, so as you let go of smoking these emotions are likely to rise to the surface and you may find yourself being very irritable and tense. Try to avoid stressful situations, and be patient and nurturing with yourself. You can use the money you are saving from not buying cigarettes to get yourself a massage, which not only relieves tension but also helps to release toxins which can cause headaches or other discomfort.

Choosing to quit smoking is the best thing you can do for yourself, for your loved ones and for the planet, so give yourself as much love and support as possible. Put the money you would spend on cigarettes in a jar (you'll be amazed how quickly it adds up), and save up to buy yourself a big reward! You deserve it!

Happy resolution day!

The first Monday of January is known as
"Start your New Year's Resolutions Day".

The third Monday of January is known as
"Ditch your New Year's Resolution Day."

This is because it takes a commitment of
21 days to solidify a new habit.

Stay committed.
Take it one day at a time,
and you will be celebrating your new life in just 21 days!

Copyright ©2005 Grace & Grace Associates Consulting, Inc. All Rights Reserved

"Responsibility is power. You have the power of choice.
You are always responsible for the choices you make and the actions you take."