Every year I commit to 4 words that I want to incorporate into my life. Throughout the year I notice areas that I am particularly lacking in and I commit to the daily work of being mindful of those particular qualities as I go throughout my day-to-day life experience. It's not anything real formal, although, I do write down the words, and I’ll explain why later. The main thing is that I move throughout my day with those four words hanging somewhere in the background of my mind. So every conversation, every interaction, everything that I do, I’m mindful of the 4 words. What I found is, at the end of the year I'm a different person. That’s what the growth process is. So this particular exercise makes it a little easier. It's a good way to keep track of the growth that you want to see in your life and at the end of the year it's easy to assess how well you did.

So let's get to it.

Step 1: Think about your life and the person you are and ask yourself what qualities are missing? These are qualities that once you live them out, will affect your life for the better and could possibly even have a positive effect on other people. These four commitments should leave you as a better person. They don't have to be anything lofty, just qualities that you want to see in yourself. Things like kind, benevolent, a good listener or things like faith, friendship, communication. You don't have to limit it to 4 words. I just find that if the list gets too long, it's harder to keep track of them. Single words are easier for me to remember but feel free to use phrases. The shorter the better. You’re trying to hold them in your mind on a daily basis.

Step 2: Write down your 4 commitments and post them where you’ll see them. You may want to post your list in your office or next to your computer. You may find hanging them on your bathroom mirror to be a great reminder as you start your day. You could write the 4 words on a slip of paper and place it in your wallet or your daily planner. Whatever system you decide is beneficial for you. The point is to make sure you see them so they stay on your mind and that daily, you are aware of your goal to incorporate these qualities into your life.

Step 3: As you go throughout your day mindful of your 4 commitments look for opportunities to display your new characteristics. Maybe there's an opportunity to pay for someone's coffee if one of your commitments is kindness. If one of your commitments is being a good listener, maybe you find opportunities where you can sit and talk one-on-one with people and be mindful of your urge to interrupt them or to cut them off, or to make your point. You just sit there and practice being a good listener.

Step four: Reap the benefits of your new commitments and bless others around you with them.

Each week as you move throughout your life, living out your 4 commitments, you're going to find that you start to transform, and by the end of the year if you've committed to it, you're going to find that these qualities will become an inherent part of who you are and how you are showing up in the world. Every year you're going to commit to four new qualities.

It’s imperative that you survey your own life and come up with your own qualities but here’s a list to jump start your thinking process.

Faith
Humility
Self-love
Service
Punctual
Discipline
Benevolence
Integrity
Generosity
Excellence
Fun
Courageous
Peace
Trustworthy
Purity
Love
Grace
Listening
Peace

Add your own in the spaces below.



What are your four commitments for this year?



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Congratulations! You're on your path to becoming a new person–the person you want to be.



Be Blessed In The Coming Year,

Tonya