Setting and then Letting Go of Your Resolutions

By Sarah McLean

The holidays have come and gone. And with their passing is the end of 2006; we have made one more revolution around the sun. With every ending comes a new beginning - and the gift of a clean slate. Now is another opportunity filled with richness and boundlessness to start fresh in our relationship to our own life, our family and friends, our job, our world, and our universe.

So on New Year’s Eve, did you come up with a resolution or two? These are your intentions for the New Year, right? You might want to write them down, and then practice the Law of Detachment right along with the Law of Intention and Desire.

What do I mean by that? As Dr. Chopra says in his book The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success, when we slip into the field of pure potentiality through the practice of meditation, and then put our attention on our intentions and desires for the New Year, the process of manifestation begins.

The often challenging part of setting intentions or of making resolutions is the complex concept of detachment. It is one of the spiritual laws, the Law of Detachment. After all, once we have recognize that all things are possible—and have taken the time to create clarity around our intentions and desires or resolutions — the last thing many of us want to do is let go of the desires that we have identified as important to us.

However, with detachment, we can stay very focused on our intentions and desires and the execution of our tasks, but need to let go of the actual process of their manifestation. What does that mean? It means we need to take a look at our relationship to the universe. Ask yourself, “Does life happen to me, or for me?” This is a very important question, and a great time to take a look at your attitude. Are you a victim of or a receiver of the gifts of the universe? You decide where you stand on this.

In order to acquire anything in the physical universe, it is said that you have to relinquish your attachment to it. This doesn’t mean you give up the intention to create your desire. You don’t give up the intention, and you don’t give up the desire. You give up your attachment to the result, and you trust the universe will, in its infinite wisdom, provide you with exactly what you need.

This is a very powerful thing to do. The moment you relinquish your attachment to a result, by combining intention with detachment simultaneously, you begin the process to have that which you desire. Dr. Chopra says anything you want can be acquired through detachment, because detachment is based on the unquestioning belief in the power of your true self, your spirit. But there is no fooling the universe, you cannot pretend you are detached, you truly must be.

Detaching from the outcome of our efforts requires an element of trust: Trust that the Universe will work out the details. Trust that there is more than one way to get what we want, and that uncertainty has more to offer than just anxiety. Trust that stepping into the field of infinite possibilities through meditation will bring an abundance of opportunities, choices, excitement, adventure, magic, and mystery to your ever day life.

Wishing you the spontaneous fulfillment of desires now and throughout the New Year.

You are what your deepest desire is.

As you desire, so is your intention.

As your intention, so is your will. As is your will so is your deed.

As is your deed, so is your destiny.

--From the Upanishads

Sarah McLean, an instructor certified by Deepak Chopra and the former Education Director at the Chopra Center for Well Being in Southern California, teaches the Primordial Sound Meditation Workshop in Arizona from Phoenix to Flagstaff. More details or a schedule of events visit www.meditateinsedona.com, or call (928) 204-0067.