I love the excitement of the new year – it feels fresh and full of possibility. Like an unwritten book filled with pages that are ready and waiting for your story. But if you’ve ever written anything, you know the pressure that comes with a blank page – let alone a whole book filled with them!
Which is why so many people rush to new years resolutions – ones that won’t actually stick too far into the new year. You feel like it’s now or never so you jump on the bandwagon and do what you think you’re supposed to this time of year.
It’s kind of like throwing spaghetti at the wall and hoping something sticks.
You might start off strong, but then by end of January/early February you’re wondering what in the actual effff happened to all that promise and excitement.
What if there’s a better way?
A simple way to get clear and focused. AND to actually create the life you want…
Great news – there is! Back in 2014 I started doing something different. Thanks to Danielle LaPorte and her Desire Mapping, I learned how to choose one feeling word to focus on. She’s got a great, in depth process which I highly recommend.
Now, I simply ask myself how I most want to feel this year. Sometimes it takes a little brainstorming and word defining – but honestly, the first word that comes to mind is usually right on.
Once you have your word, look at every single area of your life and think about how you can feel more of it in that area. (This practice is what sparked the mirror method that I teach my private coaching clients AND it’s at the center of the vision board strategy I use and teach).
If, for example, your word this year is freedom, you’d identify ways you can feel more freedom in every single area of your life – career, family, finances, health, relationships, business, etc.
From there you choose 1 or 2 specific goals to help you to create that feeling in your life. Back to the freedom example, you might choose something like creating and following a budget in the new year so you can feel financial freedom by paying off your debt, saving money or simply spending with more ease.
The cool thing is, as you follow through with action on this goal, you’ll start to feel more freedom in the other areas of your life too!
You’ll be amazed at how you start to just naturally do things differently, simply by getting clear on how you most want to feel, and by understanding what that feeling looks like in practice.
That’s what this time of year is all about – clarity. Use these winter months, to tune in, slow down and reflect, so that the vision you set for yourself and the goals you choose feel exactly right. Doing this will boost your chances of success, and happiness. Plus it makes it possible for you to create the life you want with a lot more ease!
In the comments below, let me know what your word is for this year!
Here’s to you making this year count!