The Ultimate Guide to Making New Year's Resolutions - And Keeping Them!

As we get ready to say goodbye to the old year and hello to the new one, the thought of making New Year resolutions may have crossed your mind. It’s only natural to want to take a moment to take stock of where we’ve been and where we want to go.

"More than just a point on the matrix of time, the onset of a New Year stands as an unflinching beacon, one that guides us out of the trials of the year past and propels us into those that lie ahead. And therein lies the miracle in this moment,” says Psychic Levana. “For this is a moment when we may finally conquer all that has challenged us, boosted by the promise of another chance and wizened by introspection and experience.”

Okay, but where do we start?

If you're like most people, you're probably in the habit of making New Year’s resolutions each year and then forgetting about them or giving them up before the end of January. We've all been there! Our Psychic Advisors are here to help with support and tips ranging from the practical to the mystical. Because combining rock-solid, practical advice with spiritual, metaphysical, and mystical traditions and perspectives is what we're all about.

Get in the Spirit of the New Year

"There is some magic around the New Year," says Psychic Hope. "It gives us an opportunity to open a new page in our books and look forward to the best possible life experiences."

She advises clients to greet the new year by releasing the past, channeling emotions with physical activity, and getting into a creative mindset. "Nick Frederickson said it right, 'I close my eyes to old ends. And open my heart to new beginnings.'”

A Spiritual Approach to New Year's Resolutions

“What most people don't know is that everyday actions are part of energetic patterning that is stored not just in our minds, but in our bodies as well. To make lasting changes, you must address each part of yourself, meaning your body, mind, and spirit,” explains Psychic Adele. “The mistake most made is when you try to make changes by addressing only one aspect of your whole being, such as work, health, relationships, etc. You try to change your external reality through traditional remedies, such as getting a new job, going to a doctor, joining a gym, or finding a new partner. What is not commonly understood is that your life as you know it is a product of millennia of patterns inside you that you repeat unconsciously. Making any lasting change would mean examining and addressing these patterns through spiritual insight and healing first.“

The most important fact about change is that when you transform your energy patterns and configuration from the inside, your external reality reacts and changes along with it. In other words, when you do any kind of energy clearing, whether it’s from your chakras, aura, and spiritual bodies, your physical reality adjusts to reflect either the positive or negative changes made in you.

Physical activity is a good channel for energy clearing as well. When you have stored emotions, it causes stagnancy and pain. With some movement, it makes the process easier and more fun. 

Transforming your energy body is not limited to time and space. You can switch spiritually in a relatively short period of time compared to your physical reality, such as your marriage, job, family, relationships, etc. True, lasting transformation can and will happen only if you apply the principle of whole being integration. Spiritual growth goals take all aspects of your life into account. It's addressing you as a whole unit, where every part of you is connected to each other. This is the key principle to real, permanent transformative evolution of your being.

What's Your Why?

The most important first step to making New Year's resolutions is to set aside time for self-reflection. You’re taking the time to look over the last year (or several years) and see what you can improve upon for the upcoming one. You're peeling back layers of an onion, looking deeply and honestly at your truth. So before going any further, we're going to ask you to do a little introspection.

The first step in mindful goal setting is to understand your motivation. Why do you want to lose weight, get fit, or quit smoking? Get honest about why you want to do it and if you're really ready to change. You may have known for years that you need to drop some weight and have done nothing about it. Is your why about wanting to fit into old clothes, or feeling more confident returning to the dating scene? Now, a doctor's visit reveals you have high blood pressure and are prediabetic. Is your why about your health? Or is it about self-esteem issues you've been battling since childhood? There could be a million different whys, and the point is not to pass judgment on any of them. Sure, it's easy to say that it's about your health because that's what's expected. But to follow through with your resolutions, you have to keep it real.

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Try These Psychic Tools When Setting New Year's Resolutions

As you meditate on the new year and consider your resolutions, try using some of these psychic tools to help you clarify your thoughts. Psychic Zoey illustrates the process and provides examples using tarot, numerology, and astrology.

Using Tarot to Set New Year's Resolutions

Accessing your inner self by employing the tarot is an excellent way to help achieve your goals, and perhaps more importantly, to know initially which goals you want to achieve. 

If you’re used to drawing cards to resolve daily situations, this technique can only be accentuated by using the cards for New Year’s resolutions. One of the easiest techniques is to draw a three-card spread. It’s really helpful to first bring your energies down with a few minutes of meditation. Then shuffle up the deck and draw three cards. 

Look at the pictures, and do more than just mentally recite what some “how to” book tells you—feel the scene that the card is showing you.

For instance, I used the Chrysalis Tarot and drew the ten of mirrors. It depicts a dove center stage, while around her gently floats a ribbon. This undulating line cascades throughout the picture surface, surrounding, but not binding the dove. Mirrors are attached at intervals to the ribbons. One might get a feeling of hope, of something coming that is good. Doves and pigeons are generally harbingers of joy and unexpected gifts. Looking deeper into the blue sky with several lilting clouds intermittently painted near the edge of the surface, one might feel calm and acceptance of whatever the Universe chooses to bring to light. Reflecting on the past year, I might realize that I need to work on trusting the Universe more as a part of my New Year's resolution.

Repeat this process of free association with the other cards in your spread. Allow these images and feelings to filter into your subconscious, your dreamscape, and your meditation practice, knowing that it can point your goals in the direction of your spirit.

For additional help deciding what resolutions are right for you, take a sneak peek into the new year, with a New Year Tarot Spread.  Psychic Source Advisor Shannon explores two New Year Tarot readings you can partake in at home to help reflect on the past year and provide a guided look at the upcoming 12 months ahead. It's a fun and informative way to kick off any new year. 

Using Numerology to Set New Year's Resolutions

Numerology is another excellent way to know which resolutions you need to work on. You can calculate your life path number to shed light on your personal needs. Start with the name you commonly use. Do you go by a short version of your name? Your first initial and last name?  Do you use all three - first, middle, and names? However, you ordinarily write, say, or address yourself is how you should calculate your life path number. 

Now count the letters to find your needs.  For instance, for the sake of explanation, let's consider "Rhiannon Elsabare Blackmoore."  Her first name has 9 characters, her second name 8, and her last name 10.  All characters add up to 27.  Reduce 27 by adding 7 plus 2 to equal 9. 

Here's what numerology tells us about her. Life Path Number Nine is often wise beyond its years and does best by going with the flow.  She needs to employ all her creativity and intuition in every facet of her life. As she considers her resolutions, I would encourage her to be completely honest when looking over her past year to see if she did indeed stay within the parameters of who she is and what she wanted to accomplish.  Perhaps there were long periods when she did not “go with the flow”, but rather fought against it. Or she put aside her creativity and did not see what a necessity it was in her life.  This line of inquiry can be a good way to make new resolutions.

Using Astrology to Set Your New Year's Resolutions

More people are familiar with the tenants of astrology but by the same token, most do not employ this tool when setting New Year’s resolutions.  You know that astrology is much more than a sun sign.  So even though you may be a Virgo, a Leo, or a Scorpio, there is much more hidden beneath that veneer. 

This is where your "Ascendant" comes in. Using the time of your birth and a Rising Sign Calculator, determine your rising sign.  If you don’t have this information, consult an online astrological site to find out the time of sunrise on your birthday, from your particular place of birth. Your Sun Sign and your Rising Sign will be enough to begin your soul searching. 

For instance, if you are a Virgo with a rising sign of cancer, this will give you more ability to show your caring side, and not be so analytically driven.  If you are a Libra with rising sign of Capricorn, you might be more drawn toward research and finding out the why’s, wheres’s, and how's of every situation rather than just relying on your intuition.  So watch for these two components, not just the sun sign.  Once you have determined your specifics, look to see what you want to and should be doing. 

For instance, the Virgo could be drawn to work on a nice balance between his/her outward and inward behavior, to acknowledge and allow his/her feelings to be predominant.  The Virgo could realize that by employing some sentimentality into each situation, he/she would begin to see things more clearly. That Libra could also acknowledge that his/her gifts of intuition could be matched and backed up with solid research.  In other words, perhaps he/she should work on looking over each situation carefully before making any sudden moves.  In order to delve more deeply into the process, it would be ideal to consult one of Psychic Source’s astrology readers for expert help.

Consider These Non-Traditional New Year's Resolutions

Resolutions are a vital ingredient in this New Year's toolkit. A promise to yourself, resolutions help unlock the potential held within you. Sure, we may not always succeed at going the distance with every resolution we make, but when turning things around every little step counts! Therefore, your resolution for the New Year, no matter how successful, could very well determine the reality you paint in the weeks that follow.

Each of these works from the inside out to positively change and enhance not only your approach to the challenges before you but also your experience of and response to it.

1. This year I will remember the best of me and the best of another. Always.

Anchoring in the light you, or another holds and protects you from being overwhelmed by the challenges or emotions a particular moment or experience may present. Remember, we are all learning to master our shadow; this is a gradual process and sometimes we hit rough spots along the way. Yet these points reflect only minute facets of our being and path. There is always so much more to us.

2. This year, I will trust my own intuition.

Isn't it time we all stopped kicking ourselves for not listening to that wise, inner voice? Yes, our brain seems to know it all, but maybe it is finally time to start paying attention to our intuition. This year, take a moment to pause and consult your inner guides before you choose or act.

3. At no point this year will I use fear as an excuse.

It’s much too common to shy away from our dreams, passions, and challenges, simply out of fear. No matter what you fear, do not let it stand this year between your goals and living your best life. Instead, resolve to embrace and accept your fears, and let your efforts silence them in due time.

4. I commit to focusing on what is working, instead of bemoaning what isn't.

Life is often a mixed bag. Some things work, and some just refuse to. We often tend to focus so much on correcting what isn't, that we forget to enjoy what is. Worse, we feel trapped by the difficulties we face and the thoughts and feelings that surround them. Time to change that. This year, commit to staying positive by acknowledging the gifts each moment presents, even the hardest of moments.

5. I will learn to listen better.

How much do you really listen? Are you aware of what life is trying to tell you, or what is being said in the silence of another? So much insight lies in unsaid communications yet we usually sleepwalk our way through them. We are often far more interested in the “doing” than the “being.” This year, to better inform and empower yourself, make a promise to listen- a promise to observe and acknowledge.

6. I forgive and I let go.

We are human — we err. If you want to start the year fresh, you need to forgive yourself for your imperfections. If you're holding onto anger or negative energy because of something that someone else has done to you, you need to let that go, too. It can be incredibly difficult and isn't as simple as saying you forgive them. Holding onto negative feelings and toxic relationships affects your mood, your health, and your relationships. Once you get rid of the emotional baggage in your life that's weighing you down, you can let go of the last year and fully embrace the year ahead.

7. This is a year of active responsibility and conscious choices.

We manifest our realities but it is often easy to feel helpless and victimized by them. For the coming year, let us try not to forget that no matter what hand is dealt to us, we always have the power to choose our next step. This step could be an action, an intention, or simply a feeling, but it is always within our power to choose our response and change the face of the reality yet to come.

Tips for Making and Keeping New Year's Resolutions

Whether you decide to build your resolutions around a spiritual goal, a non-traditional intention, or a traditional new year's resolution, the process from a practical perspective is similar.

1. Start Small

One of the most frustrating things about making a New Year’s resolution is that many people choose large or unachievable goals. Remember to keep them small and attainable. This helps you continue with your resolutions throughout the year. Instead of saying you want to have thousands of dollars in savings by the end of the year, make a resolution to start putting five dollars from each paycheck into your savings account. This is something that is easy to do and still gets you working toward that larger goal. It won’t leave you feeling burned out and stressed within a month.

You may want to change a dozen things in your life but trying to do them all at once is a one-way ticket to failure. Making changes, especially those involving addictive or unhealthy habits, is hard. That's why it's best to pick one major goal for the year to work towards. Trying to tackle too many things at once is overwhelming and not sustainable. You'll quit by February. Accomplish one goal, savor the success, and then move on to another. 

2. Set SMART Goals

We're all guilty of dreaming about things we'd like to see in our lives. We'd like to earn more money, live in a nice big house, or travel the world. There's nothing wrong with that. In fact, manifestation starts with a wish, develops into a vision through visualization, gets amplified with feeling, and propels action. That's right - manifestation is an active process of co-creation with the Universe.

What does manifestation have to do with goal setting? Both require active participation and are bolstered by the energy of success. So you want to set goals in a way that will allow you to be successful. Broad, undefined goals are unachievable. You want to set SMART goals.

SMART stands for:

Specific
Measurable
Achievable 
Relevant 
Time-bound

Psychic Arthur offers these examples. "If you’re not a runner and your resolution was to run 5-miles everyday and you took off on a 5-mile run on January 2nd, chances are you didn’t to make it. Instead, try starting off with maybe walking a quarter mile for a few weeks then add a little more running each week and then add a little more distance. It may take several months, but once you achieve your goal, keeping the resolution is set. Or, if your goal was/is to lose weight (gee, never heard that one before), set a series of small, more realistic goals, like making your bed everyday for a month, then changing another small habit, and when you've made those changes and are successful, you can move on to a more challenging one like weight loss.

When it comes to behavioral modification, try doing something for twenty-one days in a row. Why? It takes twenty-one days to reprogram the brain into accepting a new behavior." 

3. Avoid the 'All or Nothing' Trap

When we fall off the wagon, a switch seems to flip in our brains. One bad day of eating, and we quit a diet altogether. There are people who proudly call themselves "all or nothing" people. Either they're in it 100 percent or they don't bother at all. That approach rarely works when making big changes in life because failures will come along.

4. Share Your Goals

Whether you're nervous about sharing your resolutions with loved ones or you can't wait to tell the world, it's important to make your objectives known. Naturally, this will reinforce your commitment and may even help you stay accountable.

Try sharing your goals with your family and friends, as writing your resolutions down will help make them tangible. Partner up with someone who's made a similar resolution and keep each other accountable. Check-in with each other at designated intervals to share your achievements and challenges and make sure you're both on track.

Sometimes an objective third party, like a trusted psychic advisor, can see an obstacle with more clarity. You're extremely close to your New Year's resolutions, so you might develop blind spots that prevent you from meeting your commitments. Don't assume you have to do it alone.

5. Reward Yourself

As you keep meeting your goals, you're bound to feel increasingly happier with how you feel. To keep your motivation high throughout the year, reward yourself every so often. You deserve it!

Enhance Your New Year's Resolutions with Candle Burning

Take Your New Year's Resolutions One Day at a Time

Psychic Ivanka reminds us that beginning any process is exciting when others are also motivated. "But even when the masses are losing interest we can stick with the plan, meet our objectives, and have fun while we are doing it. Because long after the hype of the New Year is over, we will still have to face ourselves and the only way to guarantee that we don’t have the same resolutions for next year is to take it one day at a time and do not quit!"

4 Reasons Why New Year’s Resolutions Fail

1. You aren't doing it for yourself. For example, your spouse wants you to lose weight. you have to want it for yourself.

2. It's not specific enough or it’s too big. For example, you want to quit smoking, lose weight, and save money. That's a good start, but now you need to make your goals SMART. Try to narrow it down and focus. 

3. You don't have a plan.

4. No one is holding you accountable.

A lot of people just give up on their New Years' resolutions if they've stopped acting on them for a while. Try to avoid slipping into this mentality. You can step up your game and pick up where you left off. Even if you're one of those people that quit in the first week this year, there is still hope.

"Remember, a “resolution” doesn’t have to begin just because we hang up a new calendar on the wall. You can resolve to make changes, big or small, starting any time of year it feels right." advises Ivanka. "So, a March Resolution can be just as effective, perhaps even more so, than one made simply because tradition suggests it’s time to make them annually on January 1st. Do what feels right for you, WHEN it feels right, and you will likely find less pressure and more success as a result!"

Cheers and Happy New Year!