A New Year’s Ritual
The end of the year marks a new beginning, inspiring us to envision a new future, marking a profound time of change, and evoking the dreams and the desires of a life yet to be lived.
In the presence of what is possible during the potent transition from one year to the next, Debbie Ford always loved to send a New Year’s Ritual to her subscribers each year. So this year, we are delighted to send you a message that she wrote in 2009. (We even sent you a sneak peek in Sunday’s email to plant the seeds in your consciousness.)
We invite you to set aside some time to read her message, breathe into each line, absorb the wisdom, and do the transformational exploration she outlines. This is a great opportunity to powerfully end this year with this ritual, igniting new possibilities in your inner and outer worlds.
We at The Ford Institute for Transformational Training are wishing you a healthy, happy, inspired new year. We look forward to continuing to support you.
The Destination of Your Dreams
by Debbie Ford
It’s so easy to make promises about the year ahead. You will follow your diet, be more financially responsible, be kinder to your spouse, spend more time at the gym…But, for most, the promises you make today will be empty dreams six months from now. So let’s examine this. I would suggest this happens because real change doesn’t occur when you just want something or wish for another reality. Real change happens when you feel genuinely inspired, turned on by possibility, and unwilling to settle for anything less. It happens when you commit with all of yourself to a new way of life, to a new future. So how do you do this?
To feel inspired and lit up and to make room for optimism, enthusiasm, and lasting change, you must lighten your emotional load by addressing your past issues, your emotional blocks, your negative beliefs, your feelings of unworthiness, and any infantile desires that drive you to repeatedly head off in a direction counter to your dreams. If you drop your commitments, it is not because you want to be seen as a quitter or a loser but because unconsciously you are more committed to an outdated self — an old identity that feels comfortable and safe even though it might have stopped serving you years ago. Often, psychological laziness will have you switch your life over to autopilot and fall asleep at the wheel rather than stay awake to what will fulfill your heart’s deepest desires and your soul’s purpose.
On the eve of this new year, a very fertile time to look over your past and commit to a new future, you can ask these simple questions to unload some old baggage and steer your life in the direction of a brilliant and thrilling future — the ride of your life.
- What are your deepest desires for this new year?
- What are you willing to give up to get them? What habits, limiting beliefs, unhealthy relationships, or situations?
- When did you become unwilling to do whatever it takes to have what you want?
- What cravings or unmet needs will drive you away from your desired destination?
- What structure of support will you need to ensure this new future?
- Who could you count on to be your co-pilot to ensure that you will neither fall short of the runway nor overshoot your desired outcome? Who will help you stay awake?
If you wish to fly to new heights, begin by setting your sights on a destination you can reach and then create a flight plan, a map that will be your guide. And if at any time you don’t feel like following your flight path, stop, take a deep breath, call forth your vision for your future, then pick up your phone, dial your co-pilot and ask them to remind you that veering off your route really isn’t worth the pain of repeating the past. Veering off will only leave you in the same repetitive pattern of wanting, wishing, fantasizing, and then feeling intensely disappointed when you land at a destination other than the phenomenal future that awaits you.
So today, YOU have the power to choose the destination of your dreams, create a flight plan, and stick to it. So gather your courage, your strength, and your commitment and get onboard, making this new year the most inspiring year of your life.
