Tyranny of your Inner Grump &
New Year’s Resolution Setting
Please goddess don’t make a New Year’s Resolution until you read this!!!
See, it’s self-brutalizing to demand more of yourself without stopping to celebrate what you’ve survived this year.
Of course, you think you should be exercising, meditating, and eating more green stuff. We all think that about ourselves! Haha!
But actually, unless we celebrate our successes first, that cool new intention won’t work. You’ll just feel vaguely hopeless and hung over.
You’re spiritual, so you strive to be more disciplined. But that’s not it.
It’s not that you’re too easy on yourself.
It’s that you’re WAY too HARD on yourself.
The more we celebrate the sweet spot when it arises in the course of a day, the more the sweet spot reappears. Yet often at the end of the year, in the dark void of intention-setting, we deny ourselves this celebration, this pat on the back, this self-recognition.
I call this the work of the Inner Grump!
The Inner Grump is the spiritual evil twin of your Perfectionism with your work. The Inner Grump says you’re never doing enough for self-improvement and wellness. It’s the same superego inner-bully, but wearing prayer beads and a crystal necklace. Sneaky!
Want to come out of the mind control of your Inner Grump? Here’s how…
1. Wake in GRATITUDE. As soon as you wake up, before getting out of bed, count your blessings. Feel gratitude for the simple stuff – your body, your bed, your view, your kids, etc. It’s scientifically proven to shut down the Inner Grump. By someone. I dunno. Look it up.
2. Do the HAPPY DANCE. Celebrate each little thing you’re proud of with a Happy Dance. That means let your little burst of gratitude and joy move your body somehow. Maybe you do the butt wiggle like you’re a happy puppy with a tail. Maybe you do the hokey pokey and you turn yourself about. Either way, THAT’s what it’s all about! Improvised playful dance/movement opens the mind and improves divergent thinking skills
3. Make a VICTORY LIST. At night, write down the 3 things you did that day that you are proud of. It may be something small. Recognize that what you track, what you pay attention to – that’s what grows in your life. So pay attention to your victories – and witness them expanding!
Your Inner Grump will try to convince you that these 3 steps are too silly, too simple, too childlike to work. But that bastard’s been leading you astray for a long time. So do it anyway. And once your butt is wiggling and your toe is tapping and you’re full of gratitude… THEN set your intentions for a great New Year, and I bet that sh*t will work!!!
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About Mellissa
Mellissa was a Stanford-educated business lawyer until her intuitive abilities awakened in the year 2000 with the birth of her daughter. Now she bridges the worlds of business strategy and intuitive intelligence. Creative designers, Fortune 500 executives, and thought leaders hire her to teach them how to Channel their Genius – to create on demand, to stay in their flow state, and to create lucrative businesses that follow their souls’ calling.