The New Year is not the start of a sprint but the beginning of a marathon.  The only difference between running a marathon and taking off from the starting line of the New Year is that we will all participate regardless of our pace and endurance.  As long as we are blessed with air to breathe and space to take up, we will all cross the finish line.  We will all be given the same amount of steps – measure for measure, and the same amount of time – minute for minute – day by day.  The only remaining question is what will we decide to do with them?

We each have 365 – now 361 days – to do even greater things: to be obedient to the call; to finish the work; to create the masterpiece; to achieve the victory; to love the most; to stay the course; to defy the odds and triumph over disaster.  Whether we wanted to or not, God pushed us out of the comfort of 2012 to soar with the victory of 2013.  We have all been blessed with a clean slate to begin and the requisite time to win what has always been ours.  The victory is ours, but the truth is that this whole resolution thing sometimes evades us.

Resolutions are much easier said than done.  Assuming we can come up with a few goals to list, the question remains how do we accomplish them?

Here are ten principles to make sure that you accomplish your resolutions – so that by the time 2014 comes, you will have maximized your time, focused your activity and achieved your results.

RESOLUTION PRINCIPLE NO. 1:  I WILL BE CLEAR ABOUT WHAT I RESOLVE TO DO.

Clarity requires honesty and conviction.  We have to be clear about what we want.  Resolutions are not desires based on what someone else wants or something we believe we are expected to do but what we know we are called to do.  We all have the power to choose, but sometimes we don’t exercise it because we are concerned about what someone else thinks.

What is better than luck is the ability to affirm “I begin and I win” — and believe it.  “I begin and I win” means that I am an heir to the throne, with the power to create my destiny.

Take this moment and choose what you want to accomplish this year – assuming that nothing and no one stands in the way of your accomplishments.  You don’t want to settle for less than what you want.

 

RESOLUTION PRINCIPLE NO. 2:  I WILL BE CENTERED IN THE TRUTH THAT WHAT I RESOLVE TO DO IS GOD‘S WILL.

Centering or being centered requires you to enter into the silence – to be still and listen to God, or as the Psalmist says – to know that “I Am God.”  The only way to be centered is through daily meditation.

When you meditate each day, you tap into the divine energy of the universe and align your consciousness with the will of God.  The synergy of divine wisdom increases your intuition, improves your judgment, and sharpens your intellect so that you are not only in sync with what you perceive as your desires but are obedient to what God calls you to do – to do what you were called to do before you were formed in the womb.

“I begin and I win” means that we receive our divine purpose from the universe and are obedient.

 

RESOLUTION PRINCIPLE NO. 3:  I WILL BE COURAGEOUS ENOUGH TO ACCOMPLISH WHAT ONLY I CAN DO.

Even when we know what we are supposed to do, we fail to do it when we lack courage.  Being centered reinforces our conviction.  But it also helps to be aware that courage is a factor that impacts our ability to attain our good.  It takes courage to challenge any beliefs that block us from the attainment of our good (e.g., that we’re too young or too old; that we can’t trust others; that we can’t do what we have never done before; that we’re limited to the past; that we’re unable to say” no”).

We need courage to succeed in what we are called to do – not only for ourselves but in order to be obedient to God, as well as to accomplish the good that we are called to do for others – regardless of what our adversaries say, or do, or think – which is none of our business.

“I begin and I win” recognizes that God gives us the strength to attain our good before we even ask.

 

RESOLUTION PRINCIPLE NO. 4:  I WILL CONSISTENTLY WORK TOWARD THE ACHIEVEMENT OF MY GOOD.

Consistency not only means continuously exercising the proper discipline to accomplish our goals, but consistency also means getting back on track when we’ve faltered.  I recently read an article by a fitness expert who does not believe in resolutions because people do not keep them.  It’s a good thing that he doesn’t apply his disbelief to fitness.  We tend to falter when it comes to fitness too.  But faltering or falling off track is not as significant as getting back on track.

Consistency allows us to take a break or fall by the wayside in order to learn the importance of staying the course, becoming more disciplined, or being consistent.  Consistency is a process derived from the devotion and determination to see our goals through.

“I begin and I win” is the only starting place we need to return to – the center of truth that knows God will give us the strength to endure – to remain consistent when we don’t have it ourselves.

 

RESOLUTION PRINCIPLE NO. 5:  I WILL BE CLEAN IN THE PURSUIT OF MY GOOD.

Being clean pushes us to clean up our acts on several levels.  Being clean in the pursuit of our goals compels us to clean up our physical space – to throw away the old in order to clear space for the new; to release what no longer works for us; and to be clean – pure – sacred in the integrity of our actions, purpose and conduct.

“I begin and I win” recognizes that we can release that which no longer serves a purpose – not because we have been bad or did anything to be ashamed of but because we have grown from our mistakes, that we are strong enough to wipe the slate clean, and that the cleanliness of our convictions clears the path for us to reach our goals with more speed and efficiency.

 

RESOLUTION PRINCIPLE NO. 6:  I WILL BE CONFIDENT THAT NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE WITH GOD.

Nothing is impossible with God.  When we have that confidence – the same confidence that Jesus Christ had, we know that seas will part, storms will calm, mountains will move. Waters will be walked – and then, only then, will we begin to see the miracles that light the way.

“I begin and I win” means that we know God blesses us before we even ask because we have a confidence of faith.  Our resolutions become open doors – upon which all we have to do is knock.

RESOLUTION PRINCIPLE NO. 7:  I WILL TAP THE CREATIVE POWER OF THE UNIVERSE AND USE DIVINE IDEAS TO TRANSFORM MY GOOD FROM THOUGHT TO FORM.

God always gives us the ideas that we need.  The manifestation of our resolutions – or our miracles – is simply the collective consciousness of divine ideas blossoming into shape.  The joy of planting a resolution is watching it grow in a way that we can only imagine.

“I begin and I win” is an affirmative prayer that acknowledges God will help us by working out the details – even as we sleep.

The universe conspires to help us, and we don’t know how, but it is like the soil and the sun and the tender roots that grow without us seeing them.  God’s divine ideas are always somewhere taking shape.  All we have to do is be obedient when they call us.

RESOLUTION PRINCIPLE NO. 8:  I WILL STAY COMMITTED TO THE VISION OF MY SUCCESS.

Commitment is simple.  All we have to do is make the effort.  All we have to do is revisit our goals or resolutions each week.  All we have to do is read them and see them as prayer.

“I begin and I win” is a daily meditation that will help our hearts remain open to seeing and thus knowing that we are success.

 

RESOLUTION PRINCIPLE NO. 9:  I WILL BE CONNECTED TO ALL, AS WE ARE ONE. 

In this consciousness of oneness – everything, everyone, everybody is working toward the attainment of our good for us.  There is no separation between us and certainly not between us and God.

“I begin and I win” because I know that God wants my good for me as much as I want it for myself.

 

RESOLUTION PRINCIPLE NO. 10:  I WILL CELEBRATE – KNOWING THAT MY PRAYERS ARE ANSWERED BEFORE I EVEN ASK.

Celebration is gratitude.  We should be grateful – mind, body and soul – because we know that God is blessing us every moment.  Resolutions are but a few seeds that we sprinkle around New Year’s Day but bulbs, flowers, roots, bushes and even trees will be planted throughout the year, and more magnificence will emerge from the ethers.

We celebrate the joy of knowing that God is here and that our dreams are taking shape in this moment.

“I begin and I win” means that we see God – not as an apparition or a man or a sign – but that we see God in the power of the victories that God gives us.

Namaste,

Cecilia