Forget the pressure of New Years Resolutions and all the guilt and shame that is usually the driving force of those. Grab a coffee and your phone. New Year does not have to be a new you. You are awesome! This year is going to the be the happiest, healthiest, truest YOU!
1. How do you want to feel?
If this doesn't come to you fairly quick, skip this step. I like to choose a word/feeling to guide me in decisions. I don't commit to one word for the whole year like many do. I change my word through the seasons or once I feel I have attained it. Guiding words/feelings that have served me well in the past are: Light, Vibrant, Healthy, Strong, Grateful, Devotion, Discipline, Love, Rejuvenate, Content, Flexible. If you know how you want to feel in 2020, write it down. If not, let it go. Take a sip of your coffee and grab your phone.
2. Look through your Photos on your phone
Whether you take lots of photos or you're perusing your Instagram, Facebook or texts of photos people send you, you're looking for photos that light you up. If you named your feeling in Step 1, you're looking for that feeling in your photos. If not, pay attention to how these photos make you feel. What photos make you feel the way you want to feel? What photos fill you with gratitude, enthusiasm, hope or leave you wanting more of whatever that is? This is your life...already! Let's get more of that this year!
3. Look through your Calendar
Now you know how you want to feel, what you want more of this year. Skim over last year's calendar and look for times you scheduled that align with that. But also notice the times that drained that, or the voids where you could have scheduled more of that. This is your life. Your life is how you spend your days. Now get to your current calendar and schedule in some dates, plans, reminders of what you want to do to feel the way you want to feel. You want more yoga, schedule it in on repeat right now. You want to be organized, block off the time right now. You want more time with family and/or friends, schedule it right now. (BTW, this step is not dependent on others. Example, you can at least schedule every Thursday to check in with friends and family to make plans for Saturday and have that blocked off. Edit as you go but save the time now.) Time is flying but you are the pilot!
4. Set your Alarm
When you wake up with your alarm, edit it to remind you of your intention, of how you want to feel. Set a couple alarms throughout your day to remind you of an action you want to take (example, drink water; take 1 minute of deep breaths; call/text Mom) or simply to remind you of your Intention as you transition to another part of your day.
You do not have to move in a completely different direction or try to be a whole new you. Keep going! Keep getting better! Focus on your good stuff and go in that direction, with renewed energy. And curate it all using your camera and calendar.