Seven Practices for Turning Resolutions into Reality. By Bruce Elkin

We’d been talking about New Years resolutions. Coming up with resolutions is not difficult, I’d argued, but putting them into action and sustaining them can be.

First, see resolutions as results—things you want to create—rather than solutions to problems.

Don’t think about those twenty pounds you want to get rid of. Think about the lean, fit, healthy body you want and how you’d feel if you created it.

Focussing on problems—on what you don’t like and don’t want—feels bad. Research shows it depresses people. It decreases energy. It’s hard to sustain. You’re more likely to create relief than results.

However, creating—bringing into being what you do want—feels good. It’s engaging. It energizes you. It is easier to sustain lasting results. The bonus is that, when you’re creating what you want, most of your problems quietly dissolve.

You do not have to be anyone other than who you are to create what matters. True, you may have to learn some new skills and strategies but you can do that. Not knowing, yet, how to make resolutions produce doesn’t say anything about the kind of person you are. It just says you don’t know how to do it—yet. So what? You can learn. That’s what the practices below are for. They can help you learn how to create almost anything. So, accept yourself. Learn to create. Enjoy your results.

Desire alone does not lead to success. You need to practice creating just as you would practice a sport or an instrument. Practice develops personal mastery—the capacity to create. Practice makes potential possible. Practice enables you to turn visions into reality. As the great violinist Jascha Heifetz once said, “The only way to get to Carnegie Hall is to practice, practice, practice.”

Keep these three keys in mind as you experiment with the following seven practices.

Keep these three keys in mind as you experiment with the following seven practices.

It’s fine to start creating with a concept like “success” or “a great relationship.” However, you must be able to envision the specifics of the success or relationship that you want to create. Does success involve making a lot of money? Or does it involve being able to live richly on very little?

Vision does not have to be realistic; it has to be what you truly want. You, like the Wright Brothers, won't know if it’s realistic or even possible until you try it. Be visionary. Grounding vision in reality is the next step.

Vision by itself has little power. If it’s not rooted in reality, vision is merely wishful thinking. You need to know your destination and your starting point.

Creators carefully assess where they are and what they have in relationship to the results they want to create. Moreover, they never limit their vision to make it fit current reality. Instead, they change reality so it supports their vision.

Unfortunately, however, many of us ordinary folks tend to misrepresent reality to ourselves. Instead of describing reality we judge it. For example, we might say, “Everything is screwed up,” when only a small part of our life might not be working. Or we might say, “Everything is great,” when it really isn’t.

Hold a clear picture in your mind of where you want to go together with an accurate, objective description of your current reality. Doing so sets up a discrepancy—a gap—between vision and reality out of which a useful, creative tension emerges. Creative tension drives out the emotional tension that accompanies problem solving. It generates energy that you can use to move from where you are to where you want to be. Moreover, it allows you the flexibility to explore and experiment without getting lost in the process.

Many of us are closet perfectionists. We demand that our first steps be perfect. So, either we give up when we falter, or the fear of failing prevents us from acting in the first place. The key to getting started is taking small, easy steps. See each step as an experiment that teaches you what to do next.

If you don't like a result, adjust your action. If you make a wrong decision, make another one. Mistakes are merely messages; failure is simply feedback. Try again, or try something else. Go for getting better, not for being perfect.

Any time things go wrong can be a “strategic moment.” In workshops, I teach students to use unwanted circumstances as a chance to re-create creative tension, get back on track, and build motivation.

Few of us are born with the skills and talent to achieve all our visions. But, we are learners. We can try things, correct mistakes, and practice until the new becomes natural. Practice may not make us perfect, but it will make us better—and the road to success always runs through better.

It’s not enough to say, "I want to be successful". Without guidelines for judging results you are like a dog chasing its tail, seeking success but never knowing when you achieve it. To get the full power of the creative process you have to know when you’ve completed your creation. You’re done when reality matches your vision. This is why vision is best when it’s specific rather than general. Then you can assess your result against the specifics and see if it matches your vision. If it does, you’re done. Move on to your next creation.

“Those who do not create the future they want,” warns systems expert Draper L. Kaufman, Jr., “must endure the future they get.” Now is the time to become the creator of your own future. Focus your vision and action on what you most want. Think big, start small, and get better. Learn from your mistakes, build momentum, and follow through to completion

Again, these practices are not a formula. This is just one recipe for success. True success comes when you can create your own recipes. Mastering your own creative process will help you invent your own tools for creating results and becoming the person you most want to be. Go for it!
The philosopher Goethe said, “What ever you can do, or dream you can do, begin it.
Boldness has genius, power and magic in it.” So why not be bold this New Years. Take charge of your future. Try these seven practices and see if you don’t turn your resolutions into reality.