I used incorrect spelling intentionally to capture attention. This is an important topic that resonates today, on New Year’s Day. Most of us have or are making New Year’s resolutions for the upcoming year. We want things to be better this year than last year.

We hope and pray, we dream, and we want it to be, but until we adopt the mindset that it’s “gotta be,” this year might just be a repeat of last year.

I’ve been making wishy-washy resolutions for years about how I want things to be. Meaning it was the generic resolutions: lose weight, earn more money, and get in better shape, eat better, learn better, or whatever. With such broad resolutions, I didn’t see much change in my life. The resolutions I had made seem to fall off the goal grid.

Sure, I had wanted those things, and when I didn’t accomplish the resolutions for the year, I’d be hard on myself about that.

I saw a Queer Eye show episode on Netflix where Karamo, the culture guy who deals with relationships and all things social said to a guy who was struggling dealing with past mistakes, “You got to forgive yourself from now on because you were learning. I don’t call anything from my past a mistake. Because if I call any part of my life a mistake, that means I shouldn’t be here.”

Wow, that was powerful. Why do we beat ourselves up? Each time we can’t take a compliment or say something derogatory about ourselves, we are beating ourselves up. When we don’t honor our wants and desires and do what someone else wants, we are beating ourselves up. And when we stop believing that we can have, do, or be anything we want, we are – yep – beating ourselves up. We need to stop that nonsense now!

Taking action makes dreams become reality.

When something tugs at our hearts day after day, we must take action. And we achieve this by doing what’s necessary.

When we’re motivated, we get up each day excited to keep at our goals. It helps us believe we can do whatever we set our minds to. Keeping focus, stopping distractions, and following a plan are essential to showing up for yourself. It’s so easy to do something else that feels more comfortable and mask it as a priority. That’s procrastinating from fear or disbelief that you’re worthy of that dream. Be a “gotta be” person – unstoppable in your pursuit of your dreams.

If you’re having trouble getting started, take some time to work through the reasons why you aren’t taking the necessary action. Write it down in a journal or on your phone. But write it out. Thinking about stuff can get messy. Clarity comes from writing things down. Once you discover the reasons why you’re still stuck in the same ‘ol same ‘ol life, then you can begin to turn things around and change your life into what you want it to be.

We only have this one life right now. Spending it brooding, complaining, or making ourselves or others miserable is a sad way to live. Trust me, there is a better way.

So, to start the year in a good place, get a tablet or a piece of paper and ask yourself the following questions. They’ll help guide you and figure out how to navigate the next 365 days.

1. What do I like? (This is a broad question for a reason. Some of us don’t know who we are. Start small. Think about what you like. Write it down.)

2. What makes me feel the most joy? (And cool it with any judgment. Answer the question with the first thing that popped up in your mind.)

3. If I could do anything I want to do to earn a living, what would it be?

4. If I had six months to live, what would I do? (This will show you what you value the most.)

5. What would be the best thing that could happen if I did what I wanted to do with my life?

These are simple questions that will awaken the kid inside you who had dreams and wishes. That kid was a “wanna-be”, but as an adult, you are a “gotta-be”. You have everything you need to get to your destination. You just have to believe that first.

This year, make it your year. I mean, really, really make it your year.

Don’t put up with the mediocre stuff that plagued you last year. Invest in yourself. Give yourself the attention you deserve. Take time for yourself. We have a body and mind that need our attention. Take good care of it. Better thoughts equal better results.

Thank you for reading this. I hope I’ve offered some positive thoughts to help us start the new year. Happy New Year! Let’s be those rockin’ folks who gotta be doing what we love, living the way we choose, and attracting all sorts of happiness and joy!

To being a gotta-be person,

Francesca

 

Created by a human for humans.

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