At this time of year we are already looking ahead to the coming year. We are thinking of our goals and resolutions and what it is we most want to achieve which is a worthwhile pursuit.
But before we go rushing into the new year how about we pause and do a quick review of the past year? It is always a good idea to reflect on what worked and what didn't.
Here's some questions to help you out:
(1) What are you most proud of in the past year? What did you achieve?
Hopefully you wrote out your goals for 2014 at the beginning of the year so you can review which ones you achieved ( You did write them down, didn't you?)
Take some time to really savor your successes. Often we get so caught up in the rush to start the next project that we forget to truly relish the present success. Write down everything that went well and then celebrate them: buy yourself a reward, share your joy with a friend, give yourself a pat on the back.
(2) What didn't work out for you?
Celebrating our successes is important, at the same time it is important to look at what didn't work.
"I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work.”Reviewing what didn't work so well gives you the chance to tweak it, alter it and have another go, or ditch the idea altogether and try something new. Either way give thanks for the opportunity to grow.
― Thomas A. Edison
(3) What are you grateful for?
In what ways did you grow? Where did you push yourself? What were some of the special moments that took your breath away? Give thanks for all of that. Hopefully you are already practicing gratitude daily in your gratitude journal. If not make that an intention for the new year.
(4) What do you need to let go of?
Did you have an argument with someone this year that you keep going over in your head? Time to let it go.
Or are there situations from even further back that you keep mulling over? Let that go too.
How about clutter? Old files, magazines, things you have been meaning to get around to but still haven't? All that stuff weighs you down so now is the time to sot it out and LET IT GO!
While we are on the subject of letting things go here's some tips on how to do just that:
(1) Clutter:First let's define clutter: clutter is anything that is lying around that is no longer operational or useful. If you haven't touched it in the past six months chances are high you won't in the next six months either so ditch it.
If you are holding onto to it because it may come in handy some day, check your calendar. Some day is not a day of the week - out it goes!
Ladies, this applies to clothes in your wardrobe too! If you haven't worn it or are waiting until you can fit it again, you know, when you lose those last 5 pounds? Yup time to ditch them.
If you struggle with letting stuff go then set up a bag system; one for charity shops - this is for stuff you are ready to let go of and the next one is for things that you just can't bear to part with but know you need to. After all your clutter clearing seal up the bag with things that you can't let go of, put it in the garage and if after 6 months you haven't opened it to get something out of - ditch it. WITHOUT REOPENING IT!
(2) Old arguments:
Sometimes we just wish we had said that one killer line that would have stopped the other person dead in their tracks. Or we feel like we just didn't really get to tell them just how we felt . Or, or, or...... the tape in our heads seems to be stuck on a constant replay loop. It might go quiet for a while and then one night we won't be able to sleep and off it goes again.
We don't want to drag all that baggage into the coming year but how do we, finally, let it go and move past it?
There are two ways that work really well and neither of them involve confronting the other person (hooray!)
(a) The first method involves writing it all down. Pouring out all those great one liners and comebacks that you have had stored up in your brain. Pour it all out onto paper. Tell them exactly how you felt, how you feel, what an arsehole they are. Everything you never got to say. Then burn it. In fact you may need to do this a couple of times. And, man, it feels good to vent, to finally get it all off your chest.
You can make the burning of it into a ceremony, with candles and silent prayer and calling on the angels ( Archangel Micheal is great for cutting cords between you and the other party) or you can just chuck it on the fire.Whatever works for you, do that.
You should feel a sense of lightness, like a weight has been lifted off your shoulders, when you finish. If you find the tape playing again go through the whole procedure once more - chances are you hadn't quite got it all out.
(b) The next method involves EFT or tapping. The points are marked on the chart below. Start on the karate chop point and say "Even though I had this argument and I can't get it out of my head, I still deeply and completely love, accept and forgive myself. Even though this happened ages ago and I don't see how this tapping will work I still deeply and completely love accept and forgive myself." Then tap through the rest of the points saying things like this : I'm still so angry. Every time I think of it or I see... I feel so angry. I'm just so hurt. All this hurt and anger. I'm ready to let it go now. No,I'm not. Yes, I am. I need to let this go. ( Deep breath) But I'm still so hurt. I can choose to let this go.
Keep going saying whatever you need to say until you feel a shift and a lightness inside. Then think of the situation again and if it doesn't kick off the old tape again you have successfully cleared the memory of its toxic charge.
Right, are you ready to embrace the new year now?
(1) Set your intention
Kick off the new year by setting an intention for the year. What do you intend to create, manifest and produce in the coming year?To me intention has a more tangible feel to it than a goal. In sports a goal is something that you aim for but don't necessarily hit.
An intention is something that you plan for, that has a purpose and an objective.
The most important part of your intention is to write them down. " I intend to..." They say that the only difference between a billionaire and a millionaire is that the millionaire writes down their goal (intentions) daily and the billionaires do it twice a day.
Write them down, read them over and over. Take action
(2) Pick a theme for your year
Last year my theme for the year was "SELF LOVE" and it is likely that that will be my theme again this year. This covers not only the work that I will be doing on myself but also my main focus for my business.Having a theme gives your intentions a framework: Is my intention to spend more time with my family in keeping with my theme of self love? If not rework your intention.
You could even go so far as to have a theme song for the year. Every time you hear it, it will refocus you on your core intention for your year. Or you can set up a playlist to keep you motivated every day.
(3) Create a vision board
Gather together images of what you want to create in the new year. How do you want to feel? What is your year going to look like? Some people like to cut pictures out of magazines but I prefer drawing my own images and coming up with my own words . In my opinion it connects me deeper to my subconscious mind and my true heart's desires. And I'd rather have an image that sings to me than try to fit my dream into some image from a magazine. But if the magazine thing works for you then go to it!The main idea is that it is colorful and inspiring. Now you need to put it somewhere that you will see it daily like inside your wardrobe on on the outside of your glass shower or beside your bed.
(4) Gratitude Journal
I love stationery so I already have my new gratitude journal just sitting waiting for the start of the new year. I will take some time to read through the entries from the past year to remind myself just how far I have come. If you haven't started keeping a gratitude journal make 2015 the year you start. Each day write down a minimum of 5 things that you are grateful for. If you want to truly get the most out of it then add why you are grateful for those things too.Drilling down into the "why" stops it from being a rote list of banal things into a powerful tool for transformation. You really start to see the wonder in your life and stop taking things for granted, something we are all guilty of in the West.
I'm excited to see what the new year has in store. To keep up to date with all the new programs I will be launching in 2015 fill in the form below to join my mailing list.
Happy New Year!
