A year comes to an end, and there they are again, the good old New Year’s resolutions: eat healthier, drink less, exercise more, meditate more frequently, quit smoking. Did we not have that before? Most likely, yes. Because almost as certain as the good resolutions at the turn of the year is that we will have forgotten them again latest in March or have lost the motivation to follow through. Why is it like that?

On the one hand, resolutions have to do with the inner desire to control one’s own life. Are we realistically in control of our lives?

On the other hand, we often fail because humans prefer habits. Our habits make life (apparently) more comfortable for us. Breaking those is a mental exercise that requires perseverance, faith, courage, and love. At the beginning of this year I am talking to Paul Waldeck, Therapist, Life- and Organisation Alignment practitioner from South Africa, about the phenomenon of good resolutions and what helped him to integrate and manifest new habits and positive changes sustainably.

 

Maggie: Happy New Year! 2022 is the year of courage, self-confidence and trust in one’s own abilities. Do you have any New Year’s resolutions, Paul?

Yes, another year and another opportunity to embed positive change. My sincere intention this year is to remember to be more kind and loving instead of needing to be right.

I guess that touches on your topic of finding the courage and self-confidence to just be yourself without any pretence.
I’ve found that my life is a multi-layered path of challenges and awakenings to the truth of who I am, which seems to be a universal thing for so many.

This search for Self, attracted me to the Life Path process in Life Alignment, thinking that it was going to give me deeper insight into my purpose in life.

I discovered that it was more about getting to the deep core of my emotional wounds and inner resistances that create patterns of behaviour that are not serving me, even though they were created with the best intentions, like to keep me safe. Once these wounds were felt and released, I had more freedom to decide the direction of my own authentic life path. This year it’s to be more kind.

 

Maggie: Looking at New Year resolutions and the persistence of them, I like that you refer to inner resistance. How can I catch myself and identify symptoms of inner resistance?

 

As a therapist I’ve witnessed that most of us have inner resistance in some form or other. Frequently created as childhood mechanisms of protection. They are often subconscious or so patterned they become hidden in plain sight.
A tell-tale sign of inner resistance is a feeling of low-level anxiety or emotional discomfort when needing to do or say something and then finding every distraction in the book. I mean pick your coping mechanism… it could be TV, alcohol, food overindulgence, whatever it takes to keep one from meeting the uncomfortable emotional truth of the matter.

It could also come up more subtly like continuously stressing about the far-off future, or making a joke of everything as a way to avoid the uncomfortable present.
The kicker is when we can observe ourselves in our coping mechanisms and connect it to our own choices – that we’re the ones getting in our own way and self-sabotaging, under the flag of self-preservation.

 

 

 

3) You mentioned the Life Path process in Life Alignment. What’s the difference to a normal session?

 

It’s an 8-step supportive journey to deeply remove the blocks or resistances one may have around a particular issue we want to move through. It follows a sequential flow pattern, unpacking 8 aspects that are linked to this core issue, which are identified by the Life Alignment practitioner by connecting with the client’s higher Self. Related aspects can be work, family, foreign energy, marriage, protection, projects etc.

The difference is that each balance builds on the previous ones in the Life Path as a progressive journey, going deeper and deeper into the root cause of the core issue. Also, all the balances and remedies are contained on one chart as one navigates through the process, so the potency of each balance is raised immensely.

Think of it like the old onion metaphor – in order to get to the heart of it, you need to peel through many layers and perhaps even shed a tear or two.

My long-term clients who’ve also tried the Life Path have raved about it, which has further strengthened my trust in the process. 
One of the many stand-outs was a client who wanted to heal an estranged relationship with a family member. During the process they’d felt able and willing to reach out and was surprised at how well it was received by that family member. After completing the Life Path their relationship had shifted to such an extent that they immediately scheduled a second Life Path for another issue they wanted to surmount. A testimony in itself.

 

Maggie: Wow, that sounds like deep and exciting work indeed. I think also a way to dive deep and to connect to our life path is to look gratefully at memories of last year. 

 

I have read and heard about how powerful gratitude can be throughout my life in manifesting one’s desired life path, or resolutions in this instance. Gratitude can be tangibly magnetic in raising my vibration to come into alignment with the frequency of that which I’ve desired to manifest in my life.

To be honest, I’ve stopped and started gratitude journals for many years. What I’ve found to be a key companion to this practice is, after writing, to visualize my end result and really feel the gratitude and emotion of this outcome – feeling the emotional vibration of the outcome.
These combined practices have really boosted my manifestation results and can highly recommend trying it.

 

 

Maggie: Can I do something at home to maintain my focus on my good resolutions? 

Resolutions can be sneaky little seeds, in that if you don’t continuously water and care for them, they tend to shrivel back into the holding pattern that was there before.
Any exercise that consistently reinforces new patterns of behaviour would be good. I use a combination of setting micro goals (small short-term easily achievable objectives to achieve the big goal) and acknowledging and celebrating each micro goal reached. For example, rewarding myself by giving myself time to read a novel for an hour, or indulging in a piece of chocolate to celebrate the win.
Just remember two things with this: 1. Reinforce immediately after achievement – A shorter time between a behaviour and positive reinforcement makes a stronger connection.
And 2. Consistency is everything. If you fall off your horse, keep getting back on and going. If you let the horse disappear into the sunset after falling, it’s back to the old pattern.

 

Maggie: Thank you for these great and practical approaches, Paul! In summary, I have learned that mind and heart have to work together in order to make them a reality and to establish a new habit. Keeping good intentions means transforming yourself holistically.

 

Vortex Card of the month:

Earth Card (Grounding)

The energy field of a human being is connected to the energy field of the earth, of animals, of vegetation, etc.

When placed on the feet, the Earth card creates an energetic connection to the earth which grounds you. Having a greater connection with the earth promotes stability and commitment from within and amplifies the earthing experience.

Furthermore the Earth card can be utilised to activate the life force of natural elements such as crystals, stones, minerals and plants. Tests all over the world have shown profound changes in growth and health when the card has been placed on many types of vegetation. Cleanse and amplify your crystals in a very efficient way by finding the priority crystal of your house and placing the Earth card on it for a couple of minutes. This priority element will communicate the change to all others of its kind in your space. This also applies to plants and trees. Find the priority tree in your garden, using a pendulum or a Home Alignment practitioner, and let the change permeate from there. Repeat this a couple of times throughout the year, whenever you feel the life force of an earth element needs to be balanced.

Message of Jeff:

The beginning of the new year is an important time to anchor our intentions and to consolidate your direction of purpose for the new cycle, as the earth begins a new revolution around the sun. 

The Life Path process is a useful tool to align our mental resolutions with our higher mind or will minimize the ability of old sabotage patterns of the ego-mind to interfere with our successful integration of the new direction.

The more we learn to surrender to the higher will the easier it is to exercise the new patterns.

I love the Life Path approach as it’s such a beautiful tool to connect to the intentions beyond the mind. The mind is what you think you need. The Life Path process can show what comes up for you as your core intentions – for example for 2022. What aspects reveal what perspectives to you and what does your soul determine that you need to manifest and how can it help me to make natural resolutions rather than using only the will. 

May this coming year bring a new and deeper level of fulfillment and joy and may our collective light permeate throughout.