Looking forward to 2021 (and how to manage New Year's Resolutions)

If you are looking forward to 2021 at all, is it with a feeling of confidence, knowledge, expectation, and hope? Or desperation? Perhaps a mix. Either way it's a good thing. Because imagination is powerful. It might not seem as real as ... well, reality (whatever that is) ... but the two are related. Our perceptions are coloured by our expectations. And so are our actions. Ask any golfer.

So here are my top tips for 2021. Look forward, look back, look now - but do so with some excitement, some love, and appreciation. We all know the power of positive emotions, of connection. Even small doses can make a huge difference. What can you get excited about? What would 2021 be like with connection in it? Where will love be happening? What does if feel like when you appreciate things, other people, and yourself?

Imagination is more powerful than the will. Will-power becomes won't-power - when we fight it, we lose. Will-power is so last century, so let's leave it there, in the past, where it belongs. And instead, let's just imagine what things will be like when problems have gone away. If things go well, what do you see happening? What would be different, even in small ways? What difference would that make to you? Who would be pleased?

And as you allow your thoughts to drift into the future, it's ok to imagine miracles. Viktor Frankl survived on hope, imagining against the odds that his wife might be alive somewhere and thinking of him too. It made a difference. It kept him alive. We have a lot more freedom than he had, and we have a lot to live for.

Willpower is so last century. You don't need to manage your New Year's Resolutions. You already know what you want. You can let your imagination do the rest.