Don’t Be Insane in the New Year

As the New Year approaches, you might be wondering how to get different results than the ones you got during the last 12 months. I’ve got one piece of advice to help you achieve that goal: Stop being insane.

If you’ve been doing the same thing over and over again while expecting to achieve different results, you are insane.

The Definition of Insanity

Maybe you’ve heard the definition of insanity that corresponds with my previous statement. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. Often attributed to Albert Einstein, this definition originated in one of the 12-step communities.

So, if you continue your same habits, behaviors, mindsets, actions, etc., in the New Year, but expect to create something different, you meet the insanity criteria. And that’s even truer if you expected different results last year and the year before but did nothing out of the ordinary.

You are cray cray. Admit it.

No Need for an Asylum Visit

And then change your status to sane.

There’s no need for an asylum visit. Just do something different in the New Year!

Now, you might need to have a conversation with someone—like a therapist, coach, or consultant). It can be super helpful to talk with an expert as you gain clarity about the results you want to achieve and your past repetitive actions that haven’t reaped rewards.

Knowing why you continually do the same thing even though those actions don’t get you results can be helpful as you attempt to change. Ultimately, though, you just need to commit to new actions.

We are All Insane Sometimes

I’ll admit it. I’m insane, too. Most of us are crazy some time or another.

I’ve been insane in my marriage—behaving the same way for years expecting the marriage to improve (or my husband to change). It doesn’t matter what my husband does or doesn’t do, it’s up to me to do my part to create change—and do it differently than than in the past. A relationship takes two…and if both are insane, you can bet nothing will change!

And in my business, I’ve been doing the same things over and over again—the same emails, videos, blog posts, product promotions—and expecting to have more fans, sales, influence, and income. I’ve been writing the same books for the same audience and expecting to feel more fulfilled, on purpose, and passionate—and to sell more copies.

That goes for my health, too. Same diet. Same exercise (or lack thereof). But I’m still wishing I was fit and trim and at least 15 pounds lighter.

It’s time to stop…

It’s time to regain my sanity.

And it’s time for you to do the same. It doesn’t matter if you’ve been doing the same thing with your health and fitness, finances, relationships, communication, hobbies, career, or any area of your life and getting the same unwanted results. You can regain your sanity by intentionally changing what you do so you achieve new results.

Get Inspired Results

I’m focused on getting a different quality of results this coming decade—Inspired Results. If you, too, would like to achieve more inspired results, use the following formula:

Here are some simple steps to follow:

1. Discover what you’re most passionate about.

What do you talk about incessantly? What do you like to read about or study? What excites you most? These are your passions.

2. Define your purpose?

Your purpose is your Big Why. It’s the emotional reason why you feel compelled to do or create something. And it serves as you’re GPS.

You might call it a mission or calling or even your soul’s purpose. Perhaps you see it as your reason for being on Earth this lifetime.

3. Combine your passion and purpose to create a state of inspiration.

When you combine passion and purpose, you feel inspired. Always. So, if you’ve been feeling uninspired, complete steps one and two.

Then combine them. Think about how your passion can help you fulfill your purpose.

4. Take inspired action.

When you feel inspired, you’ll also become motivated. You’ll want to do something…to take action. But there is a special moment when your feeling of inspiration leads you to see your next step…your next inspired action.

This is not a should or must. It’s knowing that this next action will help you move toward the results you want. It’s a gut instinct, a spark of intuition, a push from the Universe to do something different.

5. Watch for inspired results.

And when you take inspired action, you get a different type of result—an inspired result. Inspired results help you express your passion, live intentionally, and get results that help you fulfill your purpose and potential.

Inspired results are aligned with your purpose as well as with your highest self and most precious dreams.

Sane People Get New Results

So make a decision to be sane this year and to get inspired results—the kind that moves you forward in BIG ways.

There is another quote that has been tossed around for years. It says, “If you always do what you’ve always done, you always get what you’ve always gotten.” This bit of wisdom came from Jessie Potter, an educator and counselor who founded a non-profit organization called Boldface, during her speech at the seventh annual Woman to Woman conference.

The point: Stop getting the same insufficient results. Do something different this year. Get results that exceed all your expectations.

And stop epitomizing insanity.

What are you going to do differently in the New Year and New Decade so you get new results? Tell me in a comment below. And if you know someone that would find this post helpful, please share it!

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