The Right Way to Make a Resolution

"From this day forward, I vow to give up pizza, start saving more money, go running five days a week, and read more books." Sound familiar? Probably so. And I bet that nowadays whenever you're sitting in front of the TV eating pizza and trying not to think about the fact that you could be running or reading instead, or that you could be having a salad, you wish that you had more will power, right? Well, you'll be glad to know that it's not really about will power! It's about proper planning, guidance, and support.

About the only thing as common as a New Years' resolution this time of year is an unresolved New Year's resolution in February. Have you made one only to let it fall by the wayside shortly thereafter? If you're like most Americans, the answer is a resounding yes. Resolutions are bound to fail unless done properly. In this post I will outline the basic steps involved in resolution success. If you've only experienced disappointment, now is the time for a "resolution revolution"! Literally hundreds of my clients in past years have followed my guidance and been blessed with real success.

Setting yourself up for success.

* Goal Selection: Goals must be talked through with a passionate and straightforward coach/counselor. One goal is to be chosen, with a second on "standby." It is easy to add a second goal later on. The tough part for people is even remaining committed to one. A single goal will be manageable. If there are two or more, psychology is such that a setback in one can "contaminate" the other. Therefore, one goal will be the focus.

* Goal Framing: Once selected, a goal must be framed in specific, achievable terms. Vague goals such as "I will lose weight this year" or "I will save more money" are to be avoided. I help my clients reframe goals like this as "this year, I will lose a half of a pound per week on average for a total of 25 pounds" and "I will save no less than 10% of weekly paycheck for the entire year, putting it in my savings account." Though they'd be tailored to the individual I'm counseling, notice their specificity of the goals. They are also realistic, achievable and measurable. They lend themselves to a rational, targeted approach. Goal framing takes experience and assisted reflection. Notice the word averagein the weight loss example. I might advise a particular client who is prone to looking for excuses to give up on goals to include this word because body weight naturally fluctuates, and it's important not to let "noise" in the data distract from the longer-term trend.

* Objectives: To increase the chance of success, I recommend breaking down a goal into a handful of objectives. To illustrate, here's a case in point involving an actual client. With her permission, I am sketching out her success story here.

Many years ago I cast some spells to help a young Parisian client find the "man of her dreams." It was a challenging case because my meditations had indicated that she was meant to be with an American man from the east coast. Nonetheless, the spells were successful, and several months later she met her now-husband in a quaint art museum in France while he was vacationing from New York. The year after the wedding, she sought guidance in how to attain the self-discipline necessary to overcome the limitations on her free time. Unhappy with her productivity at work and her need to constantly bring it home, she lamented not being able to spend more quality time with her husband. She wished to make their bond even stronger but couldn't do it without a little professional help.

Once the goal was clarified and properly framed, we set to work on objectives. A tarot reading made evident that she tended to allow herself to be imposed upon by friends and colleagues in ways she wasn't even aware of, and also that negativity tended to invade her thoughts at an unconscious level whenever she interacted with certain personality types. Therefore, some of her several objectives were: setting up inviolable personal boundaries; building self-confidence to facilitate specific interpersonal relationships that I won't go into here; and specifically addressing the negativity issue. The first two were accomplished thanks to her persistence and my ongoing support. The negativity was dealt with primarily by spell work. Her patient efforts paid off, and I'm proud to say that she and husband (and now two little ones) are living happily in a small town in southern France. Her home office was recently converted into a child's bedroom...bringing work home is a thing of the past.

* Accountability: I will be personally invested in your success and will periodically follow-up with you on your progress. Furthermore, if you're amenable to it, I will have one of my assistants touch base with you on a regular basis to ensure you don't slip and, if you do, that you get right back up on your feet! I've found that this caring, research-backed, method of helping clients serves as a strong incentive to stick with their commitments by holding them accountable.

* Dealing with setbacks: First and foremost, we aim to avoid them through careful planning of goals and objectives and by addressing accountability. But setbacks can and do happen even in the best of situations. Therefore, it is prudent to plan for such an eventuality. Here's what my clients tend to experience before coming to me:

- "Well, I missed exercising yesterday and blew my ten-day streak. I might as well skip today too."

- "I ate chocolate cake last night. My diet is blown. Let's order a pizza."

- "I didn't meet my saving target last week. Maybe I should lower my expectations."

These sorts of responses to setbacks are completely natural and might even sound familiar. This is why I counsel each client on how to be prepared mentally for an inevitable setback. The right mindset, in place in advance, is a necessary ingredient of success. We will NOT allow a minor setback to be an excuse to give up!

* Expertise. Don't worry if you feel like you lack the technical proficiency to set or achieve a goal. Besides many years of experience myself, I've got ready access to a vast amount of expertise in the form of colleagues who work in fields as diverse as finance, nutrition science, and business. No one should ever shy away from a resolution on account of not being an expert in whatever field pertains...but it is prudent to have access to expertise when needed.

* Supernatural Assistance. Finally, and perhaps most important, is availing oneself of the powers of the Universe. My approach is to employ the best of what scientific research has to offer and to supplement it with the proven techniques of witchcraft and psychic intuition. This will give you the edge you've never had before! And as countless clients can attest, it works!

This overview, I trust, has left you feeling energized with regard to a resolution. I ask only that you put your faith in my tried and true methods. Call or text me at (424) 302-8035. The new year is upon us...and so is the new you!