A Time for Change
By Dr. Robi Ludwig

It happens at the beginning of every year, January 1st rolls around and most of us start to think about what kind of life we’d like to live and what kind of resolutions we’d like to make happen. The New Year gives us the incentive or permission we need, to be in life a little bit better, more purposeful and perhaps most importantly, to be a more satisfied and gratified person.

If you’re like me, and I know at least some of you are, these New Year’s resolutions can all too often fail………leaving us to feel either silently or not so silently disappointed in ourselves. We feel badly about our incapacity to feel in control of our lives and badly about our inability to make the changes we need to make.

As a TV psychology commentator, when the New Year comes around, I’m often one of the people asked to talk about how to make a successful New Year’s resolution and everything that interferes with them; which is an understandably popular topic.

One New Year’s resolution segment I did was with the editor and chief of Glamour magazine, Cynthia Leive. She suggested it’s not our resolution that’s the problem, but the way in which we go about making them that is. We often make big resolutions that are destine to fail because they’re too ambitious and probably too exasperating. Small changes, one day at a time, according to this psychological savvy editor, is the smart way to go. I actually support this theory. Making resolutions in an “all or nothing” fashion can get us to feel deprived and frustrated, making it way too easy for us to give up. Small achievable changes, like deciding to walk around town more, instead of the unrealistic goal of working out at the gym seven days a week, for the rest of our lives, is an example of a small but doable change. These realistic goals can help us to make the more permanent changes we need to make. Why? Because it’s so much easier for us to achieve small goals and to measure our small victories, which makes us feel more successful. Feeling accomplished and successful leads us to permanently adopt healthier behavior and increase our self esteem; which ultimately leads to long lasting successful behavioral changes.

I also did a Today show segment with the lovely, Ariane De Bonvoison. She’s author of the book, The First 30 Days: Your Guide to Any Change and CEO of her very first company, first30days.com. Ariane, will openly tell you she’s had a lifetime of learning how to deal with lots of different changes in her life. She’s lived in six different countries by the time she was18 and more recently gave up a big corporate job to pursue a career she felt passionately about. She embraces a very interesting approach, to introducing change into one’s life. She suggests if a resolution feels too ambitious………(and let’s admit it, many resolutions do), using one word to focus on, to use as a guidepost for change. Ariana told me her New Year’s resolution word for last year was “YES”. She said “yes” to everything and because of this, had the time of her life. I just love, love, love this idea!!!! Pick one word or phrase (seems simple enough) and then live by it. Make this word or group of words your own personal mantra, to help you and the year ahead be more the way you want it to be. Between you and me……….I’m going to pick the phrase, “Make it Happen” for 2009. I’ll keep you all posted on how it goes. Regardless of whatever approach you decide to take for a prosperous and fulfilling 2009, I wish you the best of luck!!

Remember, anytime is a good time to move your life in the direction you want it to go. All you need to do is set your positive and ambitious intentions in motion. Do something everyday, even if it’s only a little step, to get you moving in the right direction. This little step can be exactly what you need to get you closer to the person or goal you’d like to reach. Cheers!!!!!!!! And here’s to a fabulous and victorious 2009!!!!!!!!!

“Power comes from living in the present moment, where you can take action and create a future.”

Sanaya Roman