Candles Love Soy!

You can forget about making New Year’s Resolutions if you’re hoping for a successful outcome. Most aren’t worth the paper they’re written on. Have you ever really lost weight or stuck to a plan when you made a new years resolution? Really, I’d like to know! Most of my resolutions in years past have fallen by the wayside, like some long forgotten wad of gum spit out the car window wallowing in the dirt on the side of the road. I couldn’t tell you what they were and in fact, there were quite a few years where I just didn’t bother making one at all.

The reason is pretty simple. Most resolutions are made in response to something negative; a habit or situation that the person wants to change or end. I’m guilty of that in creating past-years’ resolutions. And therein lies the problem - it’s hard to develop momentum from a negative response. It is always easier to move toward something than away from something.

Consider one of the most adopted goals — weight loss. Not many people get excited about losing weight - it requires deprivation. It’s a negative response to concerns about appearance, health, self-esteem…

The results of weight loss New Year’s Resolutions demonstrate their weakness.

People who succeed at losing weight and maintaining the loss have usually been motivated by a dream much bigger and more positive than just losing weight. They see themselves living a healthy lifestyle. They begin to act and think like people who are in good physical shape. There’s more of a radical change in a person’s thinking and actions than you see with most resolutions. It wouldn’t be possible to effect and sustain such a radical change unless the person is motivated by a big dream that is positive in nature.

Take some time and think about it, create a plan for your life based on a set of personal dreams based on a positive outcome.

Most people are in a free-fall through life, careening from one crisis to the next. If you were going to build a new house and you had this idea for a fabulous master bedroom suite, you wouldn’t rush out and start building the master bedroom. You’d have a complete plan before you started. When you approach resolutions and goals in the same manner, you end up with a much better chance of achieving success.

The winner of our Contest is Lauren at http://canubapartofmylife.blogspot.com Thanks everyone for entering!

Check out this wicked Angled Jar - we’re deciding whether or not to add them to the lineup for 2009. You can win one of your very own! It’s been burn-tested and burns very smoothly all the way down, with no waste. We just need to know if you would like it in your home. Could you do me a favor and let me know in the comments below? You don’t have to enter to comment, but if you want to enter, here’s how:

1. To enter, comment on this post about why you would like to try this new jar in a few sentences or less. If you include a link on your blog about this contest or include it on your facebook, twitter or other networking site, you may enter as many as five times. Please include the link.

2. You must fill out your full name and email address in the comment section (your email will not be published and will not be used for any purpose other than this contest unless you opt-in to receive our newsletter).

3. Contest will end at 6:40pm, Pacific Time, December 26, 2008.

4. United States residents only.