This Year I Will…
How to Finally Change a Habit,
Keep a Resolution, or Make a Dream Come True…
By M. J. Ryan
Reviewed by Angela Hutchinson
Spirit-Works.net
M.J. Ryan has once again given us reason to go forward living in hope and faith. This Year I Will… is a tribute to those who continue to try to better themselves, addressing the stumbling, shame, learning, and the possible transformation they courageously strive for.
I have to admit, prior to reading This Year I Will… and coming to the end of another year and arriving at the inevitable “resolution” period, I was exhausted. I really was too tired to think of hope and, frankly, faith was not in the cards. As I perused the pages of what I thought was yet another cheerleading handbook, I realized, this author knew about change in a way I had not considered before. Ryan does not waste words or time and her honesty is refreshing as she points out why change can be difficult and what it requires to alter those deeply ingrained habits that no longer serve us. As I continued to read I had to finally admit that I was stuck in limbic purgatory, sabotaging my own higher neocortex to make the changes I really did desire. I got what I was doing to prevent change, now how do I move forward? There are many valid suggestions given that the reader may consider. The author realizes as individuals we must find what works for ourselves, knowing that not everything presented will work for everyone. She offers a program beginning with a “setting of intention”, gathering a specific support system, creating a concrete, personal plan for those difficult times, understanding that we all fall from time to time. It is, quite simply, a well organized book filled with great support.
I felt the most significant message Ryan offers is the relationship we have with ourselves and how we perceive and respond to success or failure. Do we chase after perfection or accept who we are and move on? This imperfection is “the place where our heart’s desires become reality, for it is in embracing ourselves just where we are, in all our messy humanity, that we open the doorway to the possibility of transformation.” When we cease beating ourselves up and the negative self talk, we can actually walk into a new world because we are changed to the deepest part of who we are.
Transformation can be about weight, taking chances, or looking for fulfilling work, but true metamorphosis begins at the spiritual level and we are moved from the inside out. “…creating a new habit brings us two precious spiritual gifts: hope- that our future will be brighter than today through the efforts we make- and faith- that we can bring into being more of what we desire in ourselves and in our lives.” This Year I Will… contains excellent insight into real change and that change changes everything.