The New Year is for many of us a reason to change something in our lives. If you look in a magazine, or in the adverts in the media or on the web, there are resolutions everywhere: improve your image, lose weight, improve your diet, stop smoking, go to the gym, start a new hobby, etc.

But if we want to keep our resolutions, we need motivation and action

A very important factor is ‘why’ we decide to make that resolution. The ‘why’ determines the motivation; it is what will enable us to keep going even when the going gets tough. But ‘why’ has also to be effective.

If we make a resolution because everybody else does, or if we make a resolution because we have to, the chances are that we are not really motivated to keep it. And if we do not keep it, the chances are that we beat ourselves up for that.

So, in order to make an effective resolution, it has to be first of all our choice, and it is also very important how and why we decide to make that choice. We need motivation and action.

Have you made your resolutions yet? Why have you decided to make these particular changes? Have you chosen to make them for yourself or are you pleasing someone else? Do you think that if you are pleasing someone else, you will be able to follow through with your resolution?

If you have chosen to make the resolution for yourself, how have you chosen it? Let’s consider, for example, a new hobby. Have you decided to start a new hobby, because …everybody else does? Or have you chosen it because it is in your life plan?

If you decide to do something because other people are doing it, do you think you will have the long-term motivation to follow it through?

The truth is that if we want real motivation for something, it has to be part of the overall vision of our ideal life, of our perfect life, of the life that would make you truly happy and fulfilled.

Clarity actually counts for 80% of success.

If you don’t know what you want, you need to get clarity on the true desires of your heart, because if you know what you want, you can create it. So, what would your ideal life be? Do you have a mental picture of your ideal life?

If you don’t have it, create it and imagine you’re looking at it, and what you would have in all the different areas of your life – spiritual, emotional, mental, physical, relational, financial?

Now, if you have that mental picture, what you need to do is to simply modify your present life to create that picture.

And furthermore, if you know what your ideal life would look like, and you know the changes you need to make in order to create it when you decide to make those changes, how strongly do you think your motivation is going to be? What do you think you will feel, knowing that the changes you are going to make will create the life of your dreams? Do you think you will be motivated enough to follow through?

This is working smartly.

So, the recipe for true motivation is:

Decide what you want in your life, get clarity on your ideal life, see it, and create a mental picture of what you would see, how you would feel, what you would hear; see yourself living your ideal life, as if your ideal life is already happening NOW, and decide to make the changes necessary to create that picture.

You can do it; in fact, you can create anything you truly want.

Self Improvement and Success

Everything that happens to us happens in purpose. And sometimes, one thing leads to another. Instead of locking yourself up in your cage of fears and crying over past heartaches, embarrassment and failures, treat them as your teachers and they will become your tools in both self-improvement and success.

So, when does self-improvement become synonymous with success? Some tips you need to know.

*Stop thinking and feeling as if you’re a failure because you’re not. How can others accept you if YOU can’t accept YOU?

*When you see models on TV, think more on self-improvement, not self-pitying. Self-acceptance is not just about having nice slender legs, or great abs. Concentrate on inner beauty.

*When people feel so down and low about themselves, help them move up. Don’t go down with them. They’ll pull you down further and both of you will end up feeling inferior.

*The world is a large room for lessons, not mistakes. Don’t feel stupid and doomed forever just because you failed on a science quiz. There’s always the next time. Make rooms for self-improvement.

*Take things one at a time. Self-improvement is a long-term process.

* Self-improvement results to inner stability, personality development and success. It comes from self-confidence and self-esteem.

* Set meaningful and achievable goals. Self-improvement doesn’t turn you to be the exact replica of a very successful actor or businessman. It hopes and aims to result in an improved and better YOU.

*Little things mean BIG to other people. Sometimes, we don’t realize that the little things that we do like a pat on the back, saying “hi” or “hello”, greeting someone “good day” or telling Mr. Smith something like “hey, I love your tie!” are simple things that mean so much to other people.

When we’re being appreciative about beautiful things around us and other people, we also become beautiful to them.

*When you’re willing to accept change and go through the process of self-improvement, it doesn’t mean that everyone else is. The world is a place where people of different values and attitude hang out.

Sometimes, even if you think you and your best friend always like to do the same thing together at the same time, he would most likely decline an invitation for self-improvement.

We should always remember that there’s no such thing as ‘overnight success’. Its always a wonderful feeling to hold on to the things that you already have now, realizing that those are just one of the things you once wished for. A very nice quote says that “When the student is ready, the teacher will appear.”

We are all here to learn our lessons. Our parents, school teachers, friends, colleagues, neighbors… they are our teachers. When we open our doors for self-improvement, we increase our chances to become successful and happy.