Here we are. It's 2021! Can you believe it?
Actually, as I'm writing down these thoughts there are still a few more hours left in 2020 but I trust that whenever this message reaches you, it will have landed exactly when it needed to.
The last few weeks of 2020 were … A LOT. Everyone was scrambling to compile positive memories from the year. So much of this year’s beauty came in the form of pain, change, and chaos that it was hard for most of us to see any of it.
If that’s you - I feel you, I see you and I send you my light. I send you my love as you process through this and we shift over into 2021.
Cosmically, we wrapped up the year with some “fun shifts.” The last full moon of 2020 was a nurturing one here to help us release any ill will, negative feelings, or old patterns that needed to go. It was like mother energy here to pat us on the back and tell us, "It's okay, you can leave your teddy bear at home and you can go on into the world."
It may not have been an easy shift for most of us, though. In fact, I've had a headache and been kind of in a funk for about three days. I finally decided to go for a walk and clear it, and here are the thoughts that manifested:
💫2021 is going to be a year of putting into action - and embracing - the lessons we learned in 2020 when we finally got rid of the clutter and the chatter in our lives. Many of us have been on this journey of self discovery, figuring out just exactly who we are, and now is the time to do something with all that knowledge we soaked in during these last 365 difficult days.
💪Most of us tapped into our wild during the craziness of 2020. We're feeling ready to live untamed, to embrace our inner warriors. 2021 will bring us the tools we need to do exactly that. It’s going to be a fast paced year of re-learning how to ride our bikes without the training wheels and fly with a brand new set of wings.
2021 is the time to move forward ⟹ But how? Don’t worry. I’ve got a plan! Keep reading 😉
It’s time to ditch New Year's Resolutions once and for all
A new year, for many, means setting New Year's resolutions. January 1st marks the beginning of trying to “fix” ourselves - again - with 21-day challenges, FB groups, fad diets. We vow to commit to a whole lot of changes all at one time but by February 1st, many of us are left sitting in a pile of shame and feeling defeated. And when we feel like we haven’t made quick (or any) progress, we toss those resolutions out the door.
This is an old way of thinking that we need to change it! I’m here to tell you that if you try to move forward in this way, it’s not going to work. I also know that you’re ready for that change and you crave a new way!
It's time to break this cycle and shift how we look at the New Year. It’s time to focus a little bit more on intentions, commitments and creating small changes.
To keep me spiraling upwards and moving forward in my journey, I don't like to simply set goals or resolutions ... I like to COMMIT. I commit to small, simple rituals and routines that create big change over time.
Why do I do this? Because I know it works.
Here's a little example:
About a year ago, I decided I really wanted to get into shape. I wanted to work out a little bit and lose some weight. (I still was carrying around Theodore's baby weight!) I wanted to accomplish all this but I also knew that changing everything all at once was not going to serve me.
So, in October of 2019, I committed to just 30 minutes of movement every day. Only 30 minutes. That's what worked in my schedule, 30 minutes. I started by asking myself what I was going to need to keep this commitment - equipment? A new workout space? A trainer? I settled on working out with a trainer three days a week and a group of women that I’m still friends with.
Now I have to admit that I’d never been fond of exercise in my life. Never in my life did I actually desire to get out and move. Never in my life did I look at exercise as a beautiful blessing to honor my body. I only ever saw it as something that might reward me a few more cookies or cocktails once in a while and I never viewed myself as being a fit or healthy person.
But I kept that 30-minute commitment for a year and a half and guess what? Today, exercise is second nature to me. In fact, I crave my workouts all because I made it a routine and a habit in my life. The list goes on and on of examples like this that I could leave with you, but I truly want you to create your own.
As much as we might have been wishing for it, the world didn't just magically reset when the calendar flipped to January 1, 2021. It's still going to be a gradual process. So I ask you as we go into this New Year to accept that process and I’m giving you my best tips on how to do just that.
→ Step 1 ← Sit with yourself and cast your vision
So far, we’ve let go of this ideal that we have to change everything in the first month of the year. Now it’s time to look at January instead as our foundational month. If we’re following the flow of mama earth, we are still very much in the season of winter and this season is our invitation to be inward and reflective. January doesn’t scream, let’s launch and make big changes!
January is a natural invitation to create the foundations that will carry us through the rest of the cycles of the year. It's the month to start putting into play the small steps that will eventually move us forward in big ways.
Start by sitting in silence for a moment - I like to do this while I’m in the tub or lying in my bed. Close your eyes and begin to cast your vision. I like to allow myself to feel what it would be like if my vision were already my reality. Now ask yourself these questions:
Where is my next destination?
What do I want my life to feel like?
What do I want my body to feel like?
What do I want my work to feel like?
What do I want my day to go like?
What would be my ideal day?
Once you have tapped into your vision and dreams, get up and write it all down. Light a candle and let the words flow out.
Start to dream big and allow yourself to “see” what you desire and not what you think is possible based on your current situation. Your situation can always change, even if it’s only your perspective of your situation that shifts.
→ Step 2 ← Define the steps to take to manifest your vision
Once you’ve dreamt up your vision, you have to figure out what it’s going to take for you to get there. Begin manifesting your vision into your reality by connecting your vision to all of the small shifts, adjustments, and commitments you’ll need to make along your journey.
Let me give you an example:
A common vision for many of us right now is having vibrant health AND less stress. Begin this step by asking yourself what vibrant health looks like and feels like to you. What activities would bring you vibrant health? What are the main things contributing to your stress levels? What rituals will help you feel calmer throughout each day?
These answers are going to be different for everyone! So just jot down what’s in your heart. Some of my answers would be
Eating foods that I love that are whole and nutritious
Eating meals as a family
Working out daily - weightlifting, yoga, walks
Morning quiet time for prayer and meditation - at least 1 hour each day
Not feeling overcommitted and overwhelmed with kids activities
etc. …
You won’t end up making ALL of these changes or committing to everything you jot down during this step. It’s simply about visualizing the gap that exists between where you are now and where you want to be.
→ Step 3 ← Create your commitment list
It’s time to put into place what we are ready to commit to. Take what you wrote in step 2 and get a bit clearer on some action steps you can begin implementing to keep you moving forward and spiraling upward.
Let’s take our example from Step 2 and keep going with it. Start by picking just ONE of the activities from Step 2 and ask yourself why it’s not currently happening. Move on to deciding on what you will commit to, and then consider anything else within your control that could help you stick to those commitments.
Activity
Why it’s not happening
What I commit to
What else I can control
Put my phone on do not disturb and SET IT DOWN until I’m done with whatever else I am working on
Tell my husband what I am committing to for accountability (my hubby is really good at giving me that gentle push out of bed when I keep hitting snooze!)
Begin to evaluate more actions that are preventing me from going to bed earlier - like too much tv at night
etc. …
Now I invite you to make a list like this for all of your activities/items from Step 2. Many times the rituals we crave and need to put into practice are woven together and when we write them all out we start seeing patterns. A lot of the same commitments can help to achieve different goals. If you shift your sleep habits, you may find you not only have time for morning prayer and meditation, but you might also have time for that 30-minute movement commitment before the rest of the house even starts to stir.
A couple of notes on this process ...
I like to focus my commitments only on things that I have control over. I make them bite-sized, which allows me to take on one at a time and create lasting change.
I invite you to pick just one or two commitments at a time. You may start with getting to bed by 10 PM for a few weeks before you add in an earlier wake-up time. Or maybe you start with 15 minutes per day of meditation and prayer and once that becomes routine you add on 5 minutes at a time until you find your happy place.
When we aim for grandiose change or too much all at once, our bodies can't handle it. We overload our systems and then we fail. Every time. The 90-day challenge at the gym that has you working out two hours a day, eating totally differently, and sleeping on an opposite schedule makes your body go into surge mode. In order to protect itself, it just hunkers down and stops wanting to do anything.
✋ Raise your hand if this has happened to you! ✋
Stay positive because THIS YEAR we’re going to work together to change this. Let’s pick just one commitment from our lists to focus on this month, and in February let’s add just one more. Each month we’ll add one more commitment -together- until they all become routine, and each month we’ll be so much closer to our VISION.
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I’m pouring these thoughts out to you right after snowshoeing. I knew that I wanted to set a distance goal for my adventure so I committed to three miles. I knew my trail, but not exactly where on the path I would end up after three miles, so I just started putting one foot in front of the other. And that's exactly what I want you to do as we get deeper into January.
This is a big year of light and will move fast if we let it. I want you to ease into this year, take your time, breathe in to 2021 and create some foundations that will keep you moving forward in your new patterns, in your new skin, in your new life.
Let’s go into this year one foot in front of the other until we get to a place to cast our visions. I've used my process above over and over and over again, and it keeps working. When I decided that I was done with the controlling, overwhelming, overbearing, New Year’s Resolution shit and I shifted to casting miracles and manifesting in my life, life got a lot easier. Changes started to really happen, not just in my business, but in my health. A lot of people think that since I’m in the health and wellness discipline that I've always been where I'm at with my personal health and wellness. It's not the truth. This process has helped me improve time and time again.
Want some extra guidance? SCHEDULE A COACHING SESSION WITH ME. Fill out the form and I'll get you set up. We’ll start with a free 30-minute consultation to get you started and to see if we're the right fit to work together.
Here's to 2021! We’re saying “eff you” to New Year's Resolutions and “hell yes!” to manifesting magic, miracles, and visions of abundance.