Ronald A. Alexander, Ph.D., author of Wise Mind, Open Mind,:

Its that time of year when we reflect on the past and plan for the future, and that means resolving to change those habits or circumstances that we've been unhappy with. For many of us, it also means making the same resolutions we've made—and haven't fulfilled—year after year. Even though we all desire or even need to make changes in our lives, whether we are aware of it or not many of us are resistant to letting go of old habits. When we make New Years resolutions we often have unrealistic ideas of how to overcome and stop these resistances from sabotaging our resolve to change. Then once again we find ourselves frustrated and unable to move forward. Instead of fighting and struggling with resistance learn to embrace and work with it so you can finally break its hold on you.

excerpt from Wise Mind, Open Mind

When dramatic shifts occur in our lives, we can become nearly paralyzed with fear, anger, grief, and resentment. We enter a state of shock and forget that with loss comes rebirth. On some level, we understand that we must design a new life, a new mandala, but we struggle between trying to figure out what we want to do next and being overwhelmed by the intense emotions associated with loss. Clinging to the past, we resist the opportunity to embrace the creative process that requires us to let go of the mind’s limited way of thinking about ourselves and the situation at hand. But if we can find the courage to enter this process, to experience the state of consciousness Buddhists call “open mind,” accessing our deepest, or core, creativity, we can begin to tune in to what we most want for ourselves. You can ensure that your new life is in sync with your deepest values. You can let go of your attachments to what was and what you thought would be. You can choose to let go of fear and trust that a palette of many colors, some of which you may never have seen before, will be available for creating a new mandala: a new life of beauty that’s in harmony with the song of the soul.