It’s the start of week 3 in the New Year! Can you believe it? How are you all feeling?
I’m still feeling inspired – still energized from holidays and looking forward to what the year has in store for us all.
Don’t you wish you could bottle feeling like this?
But where do you go from here?
How do you go from being excited about ideas, thoughts of change and steps towards a new you to actually becoming who you want to be?
Start with today and be gentle with yourself.
Put some things in place to ensure that you have everyday reminders of where you are headed, how to appreciate the journey and how to love yourself no matter what the outcome.
Steps For A New You
The Love List
I hope you’ve all written one. But writing down the things you love to do is not enough. This doesn’t ensure that you are making them a priority. Do something from that list and make it a habit.
This year I’m planning my week and my exercise classes. Monday – to – Friday I am walking my dogs before my husband leaves for work. This is Week 3 and by the end of 21 days your brain takes this action from new activity to habit. Something that you do routinely without thinking about it.
I’m excited. My walks make me feel good, I listen to meditation or lectures whilst I am walking and my dogs are healthier and happier. Taking time to schedule in my classes, book the kids into the creche or let my hubby know in advance what I have on this week allows everything to flow better in my world. I know what I am doing and there are no last minute disappointments (like my husband has made plans to go out or the creche is full and I can’t go).
Visualisation
Spend five minutes everyday thinking about how you want to be, the goals you want to achieve and the way it will make you feel when (not if) you achieve them.
This can be done in many ways – I spent the weekend on Pinterest, pinning away happily and putting together another vision board. I also sit in meditation, envisioning my life and what I want to achieve. You could journal it, write it down, repeat affirmations of the way you want to feel.
Be Present
Yep there’s that thing again. Get out of your head!! You are here, now. Forget the past, step forward into the future.
Very easy to say in theory – extremely hard to do in practice. I was doing a workbook called Illuminate this weekend (you can get your copy free from emilyehlers.com.au by signing up to her newsletter) I found myself happily writing down the things I needed to get out of my head. Once put down on paper I felt freed. Like I’d released the thoughts and I was now free to be here. Don’t hold all your emotions in – they will just cycle and re-cycle until they manifest as unexpected anger or hurt, illness and ruin your vibe.
Yep I said vibe.
People can tell what mood you are in by your body language, the way you tone your voice and how you react to things. That’s your vibe. I don’t know many people who love carrying a negative vibe around with them or many people who enjoy spending time with these people.
So talk it out. Write it down. Bash your pillow. Scream.
Just let it go.
Then be here now.
Get Creative
Have you ever watched a kid smile spontaneously, laugh uproariously and be so totally focused in the moment and in what they are creating that you are envious?
To be that free, to be able to play again and to just not worry would be heaven wouldn’t it?
Do it. Draw. Paint. Run around and make up a game. Sing silly songs. Do crazy dances. Enjoy yourself and forget seriousness. The only person telling you that this is how grown ups act is yourself.
Let go.
Baby Steps
You don’t reach a goal just because you want it to happen. If you want to change you need to take steps towards it and when you break down those steps its not that hard.
For example:
Paying off debt. Stop buying take-out coffee and take-away for a month and put it into paying off your debt. Don’t be paralysed by the amount or believe that you will never pay it off. The only step you need to take is making your own coffee – putting it in an uber cool eco-cup and stepping out proudly. Maybe you feel so good that you decide to make cutbacks elsewhere. One step.
Losing Weight. The only thing you have to do today is eat breakfast, lunch, dinner and not have that one chocolate bar. Don’t change your whole routine. Just by cutting out that extra snack you have lost weight. Baby steps.
Writing A Book: Set yourself a daily word goal. It could be 200 words. That is 200 words closer to finishing than you were yesterday.
Have you been as excited about me about this year? I’d love to hear your goals, wishes and dreams x
What an amazing collection of doable steps to shift more fully into who you want to be – and I love the “baby steps” part. The journey doesn’t have to be as scary as we make out! <3 Lovely post. Thank you! Astra
Thank you so much Astra x
You are so very welcome! 🙂 Following your Blog now!
I love how easy some of your ideas are & they’re fresh and honest! I always love the beginning of the new year and creating the possibilities of the year. This year has gotten off to a rocky start with our family experiencing some loss but it has allowed time to reassess and value what’s important again – family! This year I’m taking steps to stop spreading myself so thinly (in an impossible attempt to do & be everything) so I can focus more on ‘being’ with the family and to put steps into place to manifest my soul calling and make a career out of it 🙂 yippee!
Im sorry for your loss but sometimes that really does show us the way doesn’t it. Your year is going to be amazing i can just tell: )