"Do you believe in God?"

"Do you believe there in God, or do you know there's a God?"

"Believing - being designed for an intended purpose - falls within the spaces of Relativity. It can be good or bad; positive or negative; emotional or rational, or a mixture of relative poles. Knowing, however, is an ‘absolute'. Because it extends from the soul, knowing does not fall within the confines of a relative world. To say, "I know," is also a declaration of Being. It conveys the idea that we are in a state of Knowingness, thus leading us to experience a feeling of Certainty."

Normally I do not make New Year's Resolutions. I would say that I ‘resolved' not to make any. I just didn't want to be a part of the temporary enthusiasm: In January everybody's motivated, but by June (sometimes much earlier), the success rate dwindles. Why is that?

The point I am about to make looks very simple when you read it, but I meditated upon it for quite some time to realize the impact it has had on my life:

See? Four words; not too complicated, but read them together a few more times, then think about whether or not  they apply to you. Although I can do much more now than I could five years ago, I still possess a cutoff point. I still get frustrated, or lose my patience and ‘cut my losses' - so to speak. So am I setting goals and guidelines, or am I playing out an old habit?

In "The Master Key System", Charles F. Haanel reminds us that:

"...when we start something and do not complete it, or make a resolution and do not keep it, we are forming the habit of failure; absolute, ignominious failure."

I've read the books about successful people, minds of millionaires, and roads to prosperity. There are some really good ones out there. And they all carry a similar message: Success is a habit. Successful people do certain things in certain ways to achieve certain results. Sound familiar? Now consider this: Most people are doing what is insane - doing the same things, day after day, in the same way, hoping to get different results!

You can't hope to get healthier by having a cigarette after you finish your workout. You can't hope to get rich by shopping your way into happiness! You're not going to find a better life if you're looking for it within your daily television lineup or in your favorite video game! You've got to TAKE ACTION to make it happen!

So how do we do it? How do we make this year different? Let go. Get rid of bad habits and replace them with good ones. You see, a ‘habit' in itself is neither good nor bad. It is in the carrying it out that determines its worth. Do your habits move you closer to the life you wish to have? Congratulations! For everyone else, learn to let go. 

There is a book I recommend, titled "Letting Go of Stuff" by Darren L. Johnson. It isn't expensive; it isn't complicated; it isn't a thousand pages long. The title is self-explanatory. It is a wonderful journey of self-realization, and a lesson in revealing the happiness that lies within you. If you need more info, visit the website by the same name (http://www.lettinggoofstuff.com/).

For motivation, I leave you with a poem that my 4^th grade teacher taught me, that I've never forgotten (thank you, Linda Rathey):

"If a task is once begun,

Never leave it ‘til it's done.

Be the task, big or small,

Do it well, or not at all."

HAPPY NEW YEAR!