Dear friends,
It’s the time for New Year's Resolutions. You know, those promises we make ourselves that too often don’t make it till Groundhog Day (for those of you unaware of that holiday, it’s February 2nd. Happy Groundhog day in advance, in case I forget to mention it later. :-) )
The trouble with failed promises, however, is most often not our lack of will; it is that we have a tendency to pick unrealistic goals. Yogananda spoke about setting goals just a little farther than you can reach. This builds willpower and confidence that we can accomplish what we set our minds to do.
A second aspect of goal setting is to remember that in all human endeavors, progress is directional, not absolute. Our goal is to move as steadily as possible in the right direction and not necessarily to get to a certain arbitrarily selected distant point. “I will lose some weight each month” rather than “I will be x number of pounds by summer” is often better and more realistic.
This is the time of year for fresh starts. Even more important are the inward goals. Our highest self is expressed through our consciousness and our hearts, not through some external accomplishment or other.
Yogananda said that if we take care of the minutes the incarnations will take care of themselves. May we each strive to be more kind, more loving, and more acceptant as the new year progresses minute by minute and hour by hour.
Blessings,
David G., manager
For the Gang at East West