This is a new year, a time for new resolutions. Not just for outer change,
but for inner awareness: mindful resolutions. What is a mindful resolution? It
is a resolution that considers your values, vision, purpose, mission, and
ultimately your relationship to Spirit.
A mindful resolution expresses your highest ideal. It glorifies Spirit. A
mindful resolution causes you to be more, not to just do more. It is not to
impress others but to express Spirit. To express the Self that makes you you.
What are your values? Not your parent's values, your spouse's, or even your
churches, what are your values? Have you ever really explored the question? In
order for values to be yours you have to consciously acknowledge them and then
create your life from the framework of your values. Society, the media, our
peers, our families, to mention a few, all influence your values by implied
permission or judgments ("isms').
Permission is implied when a particular act or behavior gets a lot of press or
is generally accepted. A positive example of the power of the press would be
when Rosa Parks decided that she was too tired to go to the back of the bus, she
sat in the front and was arrested. Suddenly others realized that simply from the
right of being, they too could sit in the front of the bus. Permission had been
implied by Rosa Parks' defiance of the law. A negative example is copycat
crimes. Some crimes that may have seemed outrageous to even a criminal mind are
more acceptable when they have been perpetrated by others and exploited by the
media.
The "isms" of our society also shape our values. I recently became aware of how
I have allowed feminism, racism, classism, sexism, and many other "isms", to
compromise my values. I was actually judging people for their holiday
decorations! The questions that I had to ask myself were "Who would I be if I
could be my Self and how would I be if I stopped judging others?" Who am I
really? The answers lie with the still small voice within.
An inner inventory can help you to purge yourself of your smallness and uncover
your greatness. Awareness coupled with forgiveness are the keys to new
possibilities of living. Your greatness comes from expressing Spirit. The I of
who you think you are must decrease in order for the "I" of who you were created
to be can increase. Your purpose is to express the "I" of Spirit.
Mindful Resolutions are needed to change the world from an unfriendly place to a
place of growth and freedom for all. Resolve to be more, love more, forgive
more, and live more. Do not let everyday life drag you along into lower
expressions of living. You can make the choice to live a purposeful life with
integrity and grace.
Barbara Dixon, founder of Mindful Resolutions, is a life coach, spiritual
teacher and an author. Barbara is also the creator of the Mindful Millionaires
Game an exciting coaching program. Go to www.mindfulresolutions.com for more
information. Barbara's new book Keys to the Kingdom: Opening to God as Source
can be ordered at www.lulu.com/Barbaradixon.
