Making our resolutions become reality through our values, visions, and voice.

By Cheralyn Leeby Ph.D., LMFT

Are you one to toast the new year with a promise to achieve a goal for yourself? How is that working so far?

You are not alone if you seem to fall short in the resolution department. According to a Forbes Health/OnePoll (2023) survey of 1,000 American adults, only 8% report that their resolutions lasted one month.

So, how do we more consciously work with our intentions so they become integrated into who we are?

Aligning our values, visions, and voice is the key to making our resolutions steps stick and ensuring that our dreams become reality.

1. Values

Ask yourself, “Does my stated resolution align with my values?” You are more likely to reach goals that align with core values. While we adjust our hopes, wishes, and preferences, principles and values remain constant. We feel best when our actions and values align. Our core values and principles guide our commitments, making the efforts worthwhile.

Understanding your values, in light of your desires, is essential.

A second question to ask yourself is: “What are my top three values, and do my resolutions for the year mirror and reflect these values?” If you want to lose 10 pounds but don’t prioritize healthy eating and exercise as a top value, you cannot expect to reach that stated goal. The task is to find the alignment.

2. Visualization

Once you have a resolution aligning with your core values, visualize yourself achieving this goal. Picture yourself at the intended finish line of any stated goal. You did it! Create a vivid mental picture of the outcome and review it daily. What are you doing? Where are you? Who is with you? Most importantly, imagine and invite the feelings you expect to experience in that moment of realization and achievement.

Brain scans reveal that conscious perceptions and imagination activate the same neural networks. Your brain does not know fact from fiction. You can “fake it ’til you make it.” If you repeatedly give your brain an imaginary scene “in action” with the aroused emotional state, you become that image over time. Accomplished athletes and performers know this to be true. No matter your desired outcome, you can see it, believe it, and ultimately achieve it. (Note: Visualization does not mean skipping the daily action steps towards goal attainment. You still have to put in the work.)

3. Voice

As you solidify your intentions with cognitive and emotional rehearsal, bring your voice to “shout it from the mountain tops.” Communicate your desires using positive affirmation statements as if they are already happening. Use the present tense (not the future) to voice your resolutions. Bring in gratitude daily and state, “I am so grateful that __________ is a reality in my life.”

My goal for this year is to publish my next book. This resolution aligns with my core values of self-expression and creativity. I can picture myself at a book signing and see my best-selling book on the shelf of the airport book spindle. I can feel the excitement and sense of accomplishment. With humble gratitude, I can truthfully announce, “I am a writer.” I must be willing to step into that reality and vocalize my book launch as a “fact” unfolding. Meditating with this mantra and image set the wheels in motion for my end result.

Conclusion

A “New Year’s Evolution” may be a better way to describe a New Year’s resolution. A resolution is a commitment to your human evolution and becoming a better version of yourself. To make your dreams become your reality, try aligning your resolution with your values, vision, and voice. Dream it, believe it, achieve it. This is the year!

Originally published at Psychology Today