New Year's Resolutions: Updating the Map

New Year's Resolutions: Updating the Map

Here comes another New Year, a great opportunity for a fresh start and positive changes. Leaving the spiritual aspect of this for a different discussion, let's take a quick look at some useful strategies to reach your goals.

Many believe that most of your routine experiences are a created for you by your brain, based on your sensory input. And that the brain's interpretation of this input is probably different for everyone. For example, the color "red" may be perceived in a unique way by each individual. Or you may go to a movie with a friend and both have a completely different subjective experience. Bit by bit, we categorize and store our experiences. As you go through life and form memories, you create an inner "map" of your experiences which define your unique version of reality.

Once a certain type of experience has been recorded, we tend to go by this "map" rather than the direct experience since we've already categorized it. It's easier and more efficient. For instance, we take the same route to work. Or tend to be drawn to the same type of people. Or order the same menu items, etc. This allows us to move quickly through the world, and for the most part keeps us safe and gets us where we need to go. But...it can also keep us stuck when we want to grow. Quite often, even though the external conditions have changed, we're still following an old outdated inner map that doesn't get us where we want to go.

If you want to change effectively, the key is to keep your goal in mind, but pay  attention to what you are actually experiencing. And not so much to the map. 

This gives you powerful feedback and allows you to correct your course. In fact, it's been said that there are no mistakes, only feedback. You might consider a way to embrace this idea. Any mistakes yield valuable information. You can add this to the map, and your internal GPS can then choose the best route at  crucial moments. This will allow you to move quickly to your goal. The process can be effortless, as the internal GPS works best without interference.

Wishing you the best for 2013! 

-Gary