New Year: One Simple Tip (Healthy Living DIY)

Happy New Year! This is the time of year you'll see a bunch of "Top 10" lists for how to improve your life in the new year. Well, I object. How can you stay focused on ten things? Instead, my suggestion is this:

Pick one.

Sure, you can do other things throughout the year. Of course you will. But keep your focus narrow and you can achieve spectacular results!

Of course, you'll want to focus on your most important objective. Think you already know what it is? Don't be too sure. Try this simple exercise before you decide.

First, quiet yourself. An answer this important had better come from a deeper place than your normal waking consciousness. Sure you "think" you know what you want. But sometimes what you "think" you want is simply a cover-up for something deeper. We want the deep thing. Something that resonates to your core. Something you can really commit to.

"Any time the physical mind is present,
the communications of the spirit are at best obscure
or do not come through to us at all."
Grandfather Stalking Wolf, quoted by Tom Brown, Jr;
Awakening Spirits

Do whatever you normally do to access your deepest inner wisdom. For some people, this is simply a matter of a few minutes of conscious breathing.

Ask yourself the following question: "What one thing, if I accomplish it this year, will satisfy me completely that the year has been well-spent?"

Then wait. See if an answer comes to mind. Sometimes it will come immediately; other times you may receive the answer later, say in a dream or while doing something repetitive or monotonous.

Write your answer down. You may choose to either post it somewhere as a reminder or place it carefully away for safekeeping. Pick what feels best.

IMPORTANT: Notice that the question you asked refers to an accomplishment. Make sure that the answer you write down is something specific that can be accomplished.

For example:

Instead of "make more money," write "My credit cards are debt-free."
Instead of "lose weight," write "My BMI is normal for my height!"
Instead of "get a life," write "I have cultivated one new close friendship with someone really fascinating."

If you initially have trouble forming a specific, attainable goal, do the "focus exercise" a second time. This time, set an intention that your inner wisdom deliver a specific, attainable goal. (Simple, eh?)

When great things start happening in your life, be sure and keep us all posted!

Here's to a sensational 2008!

Elizabeth Eckert can help you explore how simple everyday choices create health — or undermine even the best of intentions. With a background that ranges from energy medicine to structural bodywork to developmental psychology, this "Stick-To-It Coach" has the experience to support you in creating the healthiest possible expression of — you!

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