Hey sisters,

I have a confession.
The word “resolution” makes me want to gag.
Heave.
And punch something.

I don’t know about you, but there is nothing about a New Year’s Resolution that inspires me.
Resolutions are so…resolved.  They are over before you begin.  They are virtually unattainable. And even if and when you get to one, no one is there, throwing a party for you.
And if you really wanted whatever you decided to get all resolvatory about, you wouldn’t have to make a resolution to be that way anyway.
It would have happened already.
And have you noticed? You put the same resolutions on the list every year? And they keep not coming true?

It is because when something is a resolution, we think we are inadequate or wrong if we don’t have it already.
Which grinds our progress to a halt.
And stops our resolutions in their tracks.
Bleh.
Fie.
Alas.

I am inspired by something else.
I am inspired by resolution’s sexy, hot, compelling cousin.
Her name is desire.

A desire is the interface between you, and that which is greater than you.
A desire beckons you forward into a yet unknown destination, which requires you to step into a new iteration of yourself, called the woman you were born to become.
So, if you have a desire, let’s say, for a new job…
You don’t just want a different office, or a new boss in your life.
You want to become the woman who is designing her career trajectory (rather than taking someone else’s ride), so her work challenges her creatively, compensates her handsomely, and allows her the time and space to live all of her passions and commitments, which will take everyone in her world higher.
So much better than a resolution, right?
And a desire is so cool, because you do not have to wait for it to come true before you enjoy it. In fact, the more you enjoy the thought of it–right here, and right now–the more you draw it towards you.

So I want to invite you to throw out your New Year’s Resolution List, and put something new and wonderful and deliciously inspiring in its place:
A Desire List.
I want you to create a new, fresh Desire List every New Year’s Eve.
I am a big believer in creating personal rituals that refresh and renew you. Consider throwing yourself a little Desire List Party every New Year’s Eve.

Here are some basic instructions:

1. Set up a gorgeous space. Make it pleasurable: light candles, use a lovely pen, write on beautiful paper. It has to be a pussified atmosphere.
2. Don’t worry if you don’t know what your desires are ahead of time. Simply start with something small–something you know you love–and write it down. The rest will follow.
3. You can’t make a desire list when you are angry or cranky.  Handle what’s bothering you, take a long hot bath, and resume when you are sane again. Enjoyment is creation.
4. Include small things and impossible dreams.  You do not have to worry about the “how”–there is no force on earth more powerful than a woman’s desire.
5. Your desires may scare you. That is perfectly normal. No desire is too big for you. That is why it is yours. You will always get what you want, or something better.

If you’d like to presence the magic of desire in your life right now, in the comments below, tell me one of your old, worn out New Year’s Resolutions that you are ready to rid yourself of. And then tell me one delicious, new desire you’d like to put in its place.

And if you want to go even deeper into this conversation, come to my Intro night in NYC on February 9, 2012, where you can meet me, live, and I will give you The Radical Step That Changes Everything!

Mama Gena