Tube Socks and Leotards

I hope everything is going well with you this week as some of us battle snow, ice, and bone-chilling winds. By the way, how are your New Year Resolutions fairing? I read earlier that most resolutions will falter by mid-February, while on the opposite side of the spectrum, some may have busted on day one. If this is you, please know that the failure rate seems to be hovering at 80 percent, according to psychologists and research firms. These "Professionals" site that this significant failure rate could be due to the lack of clarity in the resolution or to set your expectations too high. In either case, I feel the word "Resolution" is very aggressive and demanding. 

Psychologically it feels like it screams at me, "I must." As with most musts, this usually results in my failure of the predetermined goal and the enduring disappointment and shame I feel for not completing what was, in theory, a simple task. This self-flagellation further propels me down the slope, ostensibly falling off the rails and creating a deeper hole to dig out.

Three years ago, I wanted to switch things up. I exchanged "Resolution" for "Intention" and never looked back. Why? An intention, by definition, is an idea that you plan (or intend) to carry out. It's something you mean to do, and whether you pull it off or not, you are avoiding all the needless self-ridicule, you will inevitably give yourself later. Intentions allow me to leave room for failure. If you are struggling at the moment to maintain your New Years' resolutions and you want to keep up the fight, reframe your resolution and switch it over to an intention. Try it on and see how it feels, and be the best you that you can be avoiding being too hard on yourself. I ran across this quote from my readings from Jérôme Jarre, and I thought I would share it. "The world needs healers and problem-solvers who use their hearts. Your heart is a million times more powerful than your brain."