With the start of the New Year we all seem to reflect on the past year and evaluate our lives with the excitement of setting new resolutions.  For most people, the intentions of achieving these goals are long forgotten by the third week of January.  Why is it that we cannot keep these promises to ourselves and succeed at attaining these goals that seem so important to us at one time? Are we setting our expectations too high? Are the goals we are setting true to our values?

I for one am not a huge fan of New Years resolutions.  In fact, I not only set goals and resolutions on a yearly basis but as well on a monthly, weekly and daily.  I believe that it is important to always have quality and achievable expectations of yourself so that you are continually building an atmosphere of growth.

With only 4 months remaining in 2013, I have taken some time to reflect on the past 8 months and to compare them to where I was a year ago and where I would love to be by January 2014.  I have learned that today my goals are much different than a year ago.  I want to continue to grow and to give energy to the values of how I want my life to be.  I want to do what feels right.  What are your goals over the next few months? What values are important to you?

Today I came up with 13 commandments (The Happiness Project), which identify my resolutions for the last part of this year. I thought about what made me feel good, what gave me energy and joy. As well, the values in which I wanted to reflect my life and to create growth.  My 13 commandments…

• Be ME
• Act the way I want to feel
• Take risks
• Enjoy the moment
• Treat others the way you want to be treated
• Less is more
• Reach out to others
• Focus on the good that has happened
• Love myself
• Have fun
• Never Compare
• There is only love
• Your thoughts create you – think positively!