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New Year's Resolutions

New Year's Resolutions

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 habit, no matter how noble seeming.

Yogananda also encouraged us to "take care of the minutes and the incarnations will take care of themselves." May we each strive to be slightly more kind, more loving, and more accepting as the new year progresses minute by minute and hour by hour. Now that's a resolution worth keeping!

Blessings to you all. And thank you for your support in East West having another fabulous year. The store is in excellent rock-solid shape and will be with us for many years to come thanks to people like you.

Blessings,
David G., manager
For the staff at East West