The Success Manual

"The outer world of circumstance shapes itself to the inner world of thought . . . That circumstances grow out of thought every man knows who has for any length of time practiced self-control and self-purification, for he will have noticed that the alteration in his circumstances has been in exact ratio with his altered mental condition . . .  Let a man radically alter his thoughts, and he will be astonished at the rapid transformation it will effect in the material conditions of his life."  - James Allen, As A Man Thinketh (1903)

The Pinwheel Galaxy M101, approximately 27 million light years away.

New Year's Day is undoubtedly the single most popular day world-wide where individuals embark on a course of change . . . a path of "resolution."  In the days leading up to the appointed time of midnight on New Year's Eve, when we gather in ritual fashion to celebrate and say goodbye to the past and ring in the new, many focus on choosing one or more New Year's resolutions.  As the clock ticks down the final seconds of the remaining year, we loudly roar in synchronized chant the "countdown" to that single moment when the calendar changes from one year to the next.  This year, New Years was no different, other than we also had the added bonus of finishing the first decade of what is still referred to as the "new millennium."

I have never been fond of New Year's celebrations.  In my younger days of a misspent youth, my "party buds" would refer to New Year's Eve as "amateur night," a night when those who rarely imbibe in alcoholic beverages (or other substances that induce physical and conscious altering experiences) take to the roads in the pursuit of fun.  Not a good night to be out for sure, we would usually hunker down at someone's home (or a sporty room in a posh hotel, the cost of which would be shared among those in attendance) and begin our celebration early, never leaving our home base for the dusk to dawn extravaganza.  Yet, it all seemed so pointless, so shallow, so hollow.  "What exactly are we celebrating and why?" would nag me throughout the night.  Certainly, the Heavens and the Universe give no credence to this night.  It is a night just like any other night, but for the fact that the calendar is changing from one day, month and year (and sometimes decade or millennium) to another day, month and year (and sometimes decade or millennium).

"Adversity has the effect of eliciting talents, which, in prosperous circumstances, would have lain dormant."   - Horace

What I found even more absurd - as I matured from a teenager into my twenties (but, still, by no means a mature adult, whatever that means) -  was this pointless practice of making New Year's resolutions.  Why?  Everyone I knew would make them, and yet, I never saw anyone actually keep his or her resolution.  Never.  Not once.  "Why bother?" would come to mind, particularly in those instances where the resolution was broken in the hours, minutes or even seconds after the midnight start milestone.  Many never even attempted to start that which they had resolved to do.

What I now understand is that New Year's resolutions, by nature, are bound to fail.  And, they are bound to fail because nothing ever changes in the resolver.  You cannot, by law, change the outside world (the resolution, an effect, even if it involves such personal events such as losing weight or quitting smoking), without first changing the inside world (the resolver, the cause).  It is simply not possible.  And there, Brutus, is where the problems lies - not in the stars, but in ourselves.

We cannot change what we do until we first change who we are.

"Men do not attract that which they want, but that which they are . . .His wishes and prayers are only gratified and answered when they harmonize with his thoughts and actions."  - James Allen, As A Man Thinketh (1903)

I never engaged in the New Year's resolution game, although prior to 20 years ago, my reasons were a bit different.  Not entirely so, just from a different perspective.  To me, besides the fact that nobody kept their resolutions (and, I suppose, because I feared that I may be a resolution breaker, too), the primary reason was that I felt making resolutions was simply too "negative."  That is, by making a New Year's resolution, we are resolving to do something that heretofore we obviously did not want to do (or otherwise we would already be doing it).  Why resolve to do that which we don't want to do in the first instance?  Instead, overtime, I looked at the upcoming New Year as a time to establish "goals" and "objectives" that I wanted to accomplish during the next calendar year.  In other words, I would make a list of those things that I want to do, that I want to accomplish, that I want to achieve.  I did not appreciate it at the time, but if I may, I think there was some wisdom in that approach.  There is greater motivation in seeking to do that which we want, than to seek to do that which we should.

After deciding on my goals and objectives for the new year, I would dutifully write them down on a piece of paper.   Interestingly, I would not tuck that piece of paper away, hidden from view.  Rather, I would keep it where I would see it and see it often.  Many times, I would fold it and use it as a bookmark for my reading fodder.  Looking back, this was not intentional.  It was really a subconscious strategy, I guess, to keep my goals and objectives for the year in the forefront of my mind.

"Men are anxious to improve their circumstances, but are unwilling to improve themselves; they therefore remain bound."  - James Allen, As A Man Thinketh (1903)

In time, I began to realize - again, in an almost subconscious fashion - that my personal method of making goals and objectives for the new year, as opposed to declaring resolutions, was successful.  Indeed, very successful.  As the end of the year approached, I would refer to my bookmark list and find that, by and large, I had accomplished everything that I had set as that year's goal.  Now, I wasn't reviewing this list throughout the year to monitor my status and check off those items that I had achieved.  There was none of that.  Instead, as I began to think of the next year's goals and objectives, when checking to see what I had listed the year before, I found that I had simply achieved everything that I had set out to do.  It seemed as though I had not even tried, and that was the most peculiar aspect of my ritual.

Once I became consciously aware that there was some mysterious merit to what I was doing, I really began to work it.  I recall the first year when I realized that this system worked.  That year, I set out 23 items on my goals and accomplishments list.  By the end of the following year, all were achieved.  Success!

"A particular train of thought persisted in, be it good or bad, cannot fail to produce its results on the character and circumstances.  A man cannot directlychoose his circumstances, but he can choose his thoughts, and so indirectly, yet surely, shape his circumstances."  - James Allen, As A Man Thinketh (1903)

And, so, 2010 has arrived and once again I begin my annual ritual of writing out my goals and objectives for the year.  The process has become a bit more of a project, as my stated accomplishments grow larger, and therefore, require more sustained attack and effort to attain.  The process, however, is solid, and as long as I continue working on changing myself, new results follow with certainty.  After all, as I quote often in these pages, "Of what use are historic vows of amendment if the same lawbreaker is meant to keep them?" 

What do you want to do this year?  What do you want to achieve and accomplish in 2010?

Now that is a better way of looking at it.

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Coming Soon: Newest Download to our FREE Success Manual Download Library: "As A Man Thinketh" by James Allen

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• Sticking with Your Resolutions Why do we make New Year's resolutions? What's the purpose? Did you even bother making any resolutions, or did you refrain due to the associated pressure and oft resulting disappointment from trying to follow said resolutions and failing? We make resolutions because we want to move forward; we want to......

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