Oh my goodness, we've almost come to the end of another decade. Does that have significance for you? I think it depends on your mindset, right? You can choose to look at it as just another day, which, if I'm being honest, is typically what I do when the new year rolls around. Or you can be intentional with your life - set goals and map out your year. Now that I have my own business and my dreams have become even grander than usual, I can't just take it day by day. I've got to own my life. Don't get me wrong, I've always been a planner, but I've never sat down and literally mapped out my entire year and that's what I've done (and am doing) right now. I want to be super intentional with how I spend each of my days. What goals I have, what actions I need to make to have those goals become a reality, etc.
I've been known to say that I believe everything happens for a reason. And I do. Even with the tragedies and hardships we endure. I don't say that lightly, because if you follow me at all you know that my husband, Steve, lost his leg basically do to multiple people not doing their job. You want to know one of the best things that came of that? It ultimately reunited him with his sister after over 30 years. That's a long story that I may share with you another day, but the bottom line is that despite the horrific events we've had to endure as a family, I will be forever grateful for the events that have since followed. Now let me be clear, I'm not under the illusion that you'll always have a big ah-ha. Actually I think the majority of the time we probably don't even realize the impact, or may not even hardly recognize the positive, but I promise it's there.
I was listening to Rachel Hollis RISE podcast (episode 69 from 2018) and I really liked the way she so wonderfully says it: "Life is happening FOR you...I believe it's possible to find MEANING in what happens."
Do you believe that God and/or the universe speaks to you? You may be wondering why in the world I was listening to a podcast from 2018. Hahaha, well the truth is that as I've started listening to podcasts, which has only been in the past year or so, I always start from their very beginning episode and have listened in chronological order. However, I got over my anal retentiveness and decided that was silly, so what I've started doing is reading the title of the episodes and then listen when one intrigues me. I don't think that I listened to that particular Rise episode on that day just because, nope, I believe that I needed to hear what was said on that day. There were actually several nuggets of wisdom that I took away from that episode and had I listened to it any other day it may not have rang as true as it did for me. Just like if you were curious and went to listen to it right now, there may not be anything that really rings true for you. It may not be the right time. Do you know what I mean?
In addition to planning out and calendaring your new year I think it's also important to have some tools in place to help you stay focused on fulfilling those. Here are some of the techniques that I use:
1) Vision Board. There's really no wrong way to do this. Some people prefer to cut out pictures from magazines and print pics from online, but I personally prefer a digital vision board. This allows me to have it will me all the time. I like to make a quick vision board using Canva or PicMonkey (they're both free) using my top goals and dreams. However, this year I found an app called My Vision Board - Visualize your dreams by Magnetic Lab. It's pretty cool, because you can create more details behind the picture and even add start and ending dates too. Also included in this free app are other tabs like Life Purpose, Affirmation, and Journal.
2) Affirmations. This is a phrase that you repeat to yourself, say out loud and/or write down on the daily. I like affirmations, but sometimes it can be difficult to come up with them. My quick tips are to; keep'em short-n-sweet, but be detailed and descriptive, and use "I AM" statements.
3) Brain Dump. This is just what it sounds like. Write down everything you can think of about what you want to accomplish in the new year. Your dreams. Your goals. Your ambitions. Your hopes. Your feelings. You name it. Walk away from your list and then come back to it a little later. Circle the top 5 to 10 things on your list (depending on the size - no judgement, there's no right or wrong way to do this) that you feel are the most important. Try not to over analyze your list, just look and circle. You can and should prioritize this list at a later point in time, this is just the start. Plus it's your list to do with what you want. If all you do is pull it back out when you're in a slump, that's okay too.
4) Your Word. Like an affirmation or your vision board this is a word that you want to use daily. See it, write it, say it, feel it - whatever. Now there are quizzes you can take to help you figure out what your word can be or you can review your brain dump list and see if there's a common theme or feeling that comes from your list.
5) Gratitude. Something that I have done but not with the consistency that I want to is to keep a gratitude journal. I found this cool app to help me do just that. It's called Gratitude: Personal Growth & Affirmations Journal by Pritesh Sankhe. What I really like about this app is that you can set reminders for the frequency with which you want to journal and better yet there are built in questions that can help you if you struggle, like me, to always know what to write down.
So there you have it. I hope this helpful for you as you begin and build on your plans for the new year. May this new year and new decade bring you happiness and success in ALL areas of your life.
Happy New Year!