At the first of the year, when everything seems fresh & brand new, we are tempted to make these commitments for the year that are intended to make our lives better.  For most people that means giving things up...things that they love!  Now why, if we want to make things better, do we feel we have to go without things that we have come to love?  Can't there be some middle ground in life, a way of balancing out the things that we tend to overindulge in with the things that we neglect?  The approach is simply this:  rather than think about the negative item (i.e. "I'm going to subtract this from my life")  emphasize the positive item (i.e. "I'm going to add this to my life!").  Naturally, by adding more of what you are lacking, the habits that you have developed will have less of an impact in your life, thereby creating balance & harmony.  When we strive to just remove something without filling that void, there is left behind this empty, very obvious moment when we are faced with do-or-deny.  For many of us, that eventually leads to Do, which sets up bad patterns & habits.  Worse than the original habit that we intended to rid from our lives, now we associate ourselves with failure to follow-through, or lack of self-control.  Unfortunately, these subconscious realizations can sometimes be carried over into other areas of our lives, without a conscious clue as to why we continue to feel like we're "failing".  It's really just a twisted cycle that needs to be straightened out.  The way to straighten it is to find that middle line that you can walk:  it is called BALANCE, and nothing else in life will make you feel better about yourself than being able to balance what you need with what you want.  
        I can think of many, wonderful things that this life has to offer that I should indulge in more.  I think I will select a few of them for the year to freshen my life up & give me a new perspective.  Perhapsas I learn a few new things, I will spend less time on my old bad habits & they'll eventually fade into the distance.  After all, the way to rid oneself of something is to not focus on it, right?  I shall quit giving "junk" too much attention, & spend more of my valuable time  on things that I Want in my life!  Balance is naturally bound to follow! 

-CHEERS



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