New You for a New Year :: Day 1

Welcome to the New You for a New Year 7-day Series! I am so very excited to reflect on this glorious year and plan for a brilliant 12 months to come!

Yesterday, I gave you some suggestions for prepping for this 7-day review. To briefly recap, I recommend using a journal or a notebook to collect your thoughts and feelings during our review and resolutions-setting. In addition and to compliment this 7-day series, I highly recommend Leonie Dawson’s 2013 Life and Business Planner.

And with that, let’s embark upon this journey together and shape a fabulous New Year!

The Beginning

For the last several years, I’ve committed myself to perform an end-year review. The tradition started for me in 2008, when I realized how utterly depressed I was during the holiday season.

At the time, there was a VHS tape I kept up-to-date, which I named Christmases Past. I started it in 2001 when my first child was born, and every year I’d add the most recent Christmas clips. By 2008, it had become a significant recording as it highlighted each of my four children’s first Christmases. The tape was disturbingly adorable.

You see, I have so thoroughly loved every phase of our family life from its beginning. By watching the Christmases Past tape of precious moments, I inadvertently began to grieve all Christmases Past. I unknowingly mourned the stages our family had outgrown, rather than appreciate the one we were in.

Reflection

By holiday season 2008, I realized I had formed a pattern of December depression, which was very unfortunate because I love everything winter and Christmas-related. That’s not how I choose to spend a holiday with the family I treasure, and it’s certainly not how I want to start a New Year.

I decided to pack the Christmases Past tape away. I haven’t seen it since, and I’ve forgotten where it’s stored. It will be a lovely surprise for my children to stumble upon in the future, but watching it annually did my spirit more harm than good.

I also blocked the week between Christmas and New Year’s for an annual review. Each night, I sit in comfort and silence as I reflect back on the year and make notes for my New Year’s resolutions. My Decembers have been joyful ever since!

Day 1

I take review and reflection seriously, but throughout the year, I take my New Year’s resolutions very lightly. My goals are more of a guideline; I tune into what makes me feel good, and I strive for more of that. As I am always growing, what makes me feel good is always changing, and the plan is ever-evolving.

For the first day of review, I look at how I invested my time this year. Here are a few questions to ask:

• How did you spend your time this year?

• How would you like to improve on that?

• What are you feeling particularly grateful for?

• What would you like to grow or expand on?

Here are my results for 2012:

How did I spend my time this year?

Building, pushing, expanding, practicing, perfecting, completing, learning

How would I like to improve on that?

It seems the year has been a push, and I’d like to even out the cycle by allowing more often. I would like a more balanced give-and-take.

What am I particularly grateful for?

1. My family’s health, happiness, and safety. Always.

I’m grateful for the many opportunities that have presented themselves. Do you know who I’ve met this year?!

2. I sat across the aisle at lunch from my favorite author, Dr. Wayne Dyer. I overheard he and his daughter mention and giggle over some kind words my children shared with each other. I’ve listened to him on audio books more times than I can count, but this year I heard him speak in person.

3. I shook hands and had Q&A time with Hay House Publisher CEO, Reid Tracy. My husband and I were thrilled to learn that he’s a Steelers fan too!

4. A reporter from The Wall Street Journal called me! At my house! They not only mentioned me in an article, they put my bracelet on the front page of the issue.

5. Long story as short as possible: I’ve long admired Corbett Barr and his blogging success (Think Traffic), and I recently joined a professional network he hosts alongside Chase Reeves and Caleb Wojcik (Fizzle). I then watched video training that featured Brett Kelly (another writer I admire based on his success with the e-book, Evernote Essentials). The training resulted in a huge win for my career, which I then shared with the entire network. These guys are big players in my world, and they celebrated my success with me!

6. Last but not least, I scored an interview with the amazing Leonie Dawson, which I’ll be sharing later in this series.

What would I like to grow?

This sense of arrival and the confidence to contact huge leaders in my industry and see what we might build together. I’m feeling established. I want to take this feeling of self-love and acceptance and continue to build my presence in the world.

In Summary

Based on what you’ve learned after sitting down with the above questions, ask:

• What one word represents what you would like to build upon in the New Year?

Last night I realized that the keyword for my New Year is homecoming. I’m physically and metaphorically ready to come home.

The summit of happiness is reached when a person is ready to be what he is. -Desiderus Erasmus

I’m anticipating my own arrival into myself, as well as my return to the United States. I’ve spent the last year laying out a pretty solid foundation, and I’m proud of it. The Energy Shop and Marketing Creativity have opened a few doors for me, and I’m excited to see what new doors those doors lead to. I’ve set the stage, and I’m ready to present myself!

Work with these questions, or continue on in the series …

:: Day 2

:: Day 3