Make a 2012 Declaration that Sticks

In December I promised to share my thoughts and practices on making declarations. Declarations can support a shift in our habits whether it is a habit in how we think, feel, or move. Declarations versus resolutions can be embodied... become a part of who we are versus something we just think we should do or be.

The first step is to begin with how you desire to be. "For the sake of what" are you intending to be differently?

This might be, "For the sake of my health..." or "For the sake of a better relationship..." or whatever it is you desire to do or be differently. Beginning with this phase takes you to the heart of the matter and helps your whole being know why you desire this shift in how you are in the world. Once you discover the "why" behind the declaration and make it a part of it, allowing the words for the action to shift, as they will, is beneficial. If you are having any difficulty with this part of the declaration the practice I taught in the December Thoughts on Your Life from Here, will support you.

The second step is to state what you ARE doing or being. It is most important to state this in the present tense. I realize you are not there yet and there would be no need for this declaration if you already were there. However, when we declare something in the future; i.e. "I will exercise 5 times per week" or whatever, we actually push the declaration out in front of us and we can never catch up to it. We live in the present, never in the future. So, this declaration might be: For the sake of my health, I am exercising 5 days per week.

The third step includes saying the declaration from an energy that supports you in being or doing something in the way you desire. So practice the declaration from each energy flow. I say it from Center, Earth, Fire, Water, and finally, Air Life Energy. I let my life energy flow around me in different directions, which may shift my wording and certainly shifts my emotions. Each energy flow allows different possibilities to me and I'm looking for the one that serves best for each declaration. For example, from Earth Energy, I feel more stable... like a queen, and I allow a feeling of knowing this is right/good for me to become a part of the way I say the declaration. Or from Fire Energy I am focused and resolute in my belief of how this is what I want to be; i.e. healthy. If you need to believe in the declaration and how it will serve, then Earth Energy supports that feeling. If staying focused on the goal is what you need, then Fire Energy may be the place from where you want to make the declaration. (Note the reference below to my website and/or book where you can learn more about your 5 life energy flows.)

The fourth step is to make the declaration every day within your chosen energy flow for 21 days. The 21 days is slightly arbitrary, but most of the brain research states that a new habit becomes embodied only after about 21 days of repetition. I am sure it seems obvious that once is not enough, but 21 days may seem a little long. The question is how much do you truly desire to shift the way you are or what you are doing/being? If your declaration is felt from the heart, includes "for the sake of what", is stated from a specific energy flow, and is repeated for at least 21 days, you will almost certainly embody it.Blessings on living your 2012 declarations!

"What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us."

- Oliver Wendell Holmes