Refresh, Reboot, & Recharge for 2013!

Happy New Year!

As the New Year begins, we often have a tendency to reflect on the past year we have had and then decide how we would like our life to be for this next year! We all wish to live the life we really want. But it often seems that so few of us actually do. Why is that??

In theory, creating the life we want should be easy, but if it really were, everyone would be doing it! Sometimes we’re too busy working, paying bills or picking up kids to give it much thought. Sometimes we don’t know how to get clarity so we put it off until “later.” Or, perhaps, we have ignored what we really wanted and, instead, created a life that others wanted for us. For many, we may have given it some thought, but have no idea HOW to get the life we want, we don’t know the steps to take…or maybe we know the steps but get stuck in INACTION.

Create the Life You Want 


If you aren’t living the life you want, where do you even begin? How do you get clear on what you want? And how do you stay committed to it once you have discovered it?
Here are some steps that can help you get started right now:

Get Clarity 

Before getting what we want, we must first know what it is we really do want. This may seem obvious, but it trips up even the most intelligent people right from the start. Take out a blank sheet of paper and write “My Vision for 2013” at the top. Then imagine it’s December 31, 2013. As you reflect on the year that has just ended, what have you accomplished? What does your life look like? What are your finances like? Your job/career/business? Your physical and mental health? Your relationships with loved ones, coworkers, business associates? What are your spiritual connections like? Once you have a clear picture in your mind of how your life has been for the year 2013, write down everything you want to have, do, be and share. Then generate 1-2 larger goals for each sector (finances/career, physical and mental health, relationships, and spiritual) to help set you back on course. Every week, create a set of objectives to achieve for that week that will get you closer to accomplishing the larger goal. This way you will always be taking some action.

Eliminate Toxic Beliefs
How do the things you believe about yourself, your life, and the people around you affect how you live your life AND your ability to create the life you want for yourself? Well, if deep down in your core, you do not really, deeply, and truly believe that you DESERVE the life you want, you will not create it! You will do every single thing you possibly can to SABOTAGE your success! I know! I’ve seen it happen time and again with my clients…and yes! I have done it too! If you believe that money and “rich people” are evil…then guess what, you will NEVER allow yourself to have money! What we believe to be true is extremely powerful! So take a really good look at what you truly believe and examine how it might be affecting the decisions and choices you make. Then ask yourself, “Am I willing to change my beliefs to have the life I want?”

Create a Positive Mindset
The best way to motivate yourself to make changes in your life is to CHANGE the way you think! If you follow all the steps above and neglect this one…NOTHING will change! It seems to be a natural human tendency to focus on lack, scarcity, fear, and what’s missing in your life. If you keep your focus there, rather than on what’s great, abundant, positive, energizing, and loving, you will continue to make excuses about why you aren’t able to create the life you want. First, accept that you do this…we all do (even me) and then pay close attention to the language you use everyday. Both the spoken language you use to people you speak to AND the language the goes on in your head. How do you speak to yourself?? Are you always mumbling and grumbling about how bad this or that is? Criticizing yourself and others? Always expecting bad things to happen? Worrying about the future? Well, the next time you catch yourself doing this. STOP! Then take a moment to reframe whatever it is you are saying to yourself or the other person. Make a deliberate effort to change your language to something more positive. When your self-talk is more positive, the words you speak to others often have a tendency to follow suit. The more positive you are, the more energized and activated you become and you will be motivated to make positive changes in your life.

Stay Focused
It’s easy to lose momentum by getting distracted with new, exciting opportunities and ideas. Having clarity makes it easier to distinguish those opportunities and ideas that help move us forward toward our goals from the ones that throw us off track. Always keep your goals and objectives in plain sight! Post them somewhere you can see them as a reminder of what they are. This will help you stay focused.
The next time a new idea or opportunity arises ask yourself, “How will this help me achieve my ultimate 2013 goal of “x”? If it doesn’t, create a special “Ideas Journal” and write down all these new ideas in it! When you have reached the objectives and goals you planned for 2013, then you can begin to focus on these new ideas. If it’s a new opportunity but does not help you accomplish your goals for 2013, then perhaps it makes sense to pass on it for now. Again, if your goals are clear and important, that should be your focus.

Enjoy the Process
People who focus on the destination as opposed to the journey also tend to be more critical of their failures. When you enjoy the process along the way, it’s easier to appreciate the end result – no matter what happens. If things aren’t quite the way you wanted them to be, there will be lessons packaged within the challenge.
The next time you do experience challenges or make mistakes – reframe them. Realize that you have just learned how not to do something, and then acknowledge yourself for what you’ve learned. Strategize new solutions…and keep going!

And, finally, as with anything worthwhile, there is no quick fix when it comes to designing and building the life you want. Everything takes time to develop and new habits are sometimes challenging to get started! However, these steps can help guide you along your path to living the life you want…and loving the life you live.

Please leave a comment below and let me know of the changes you would like to see happen in your life! And, if you could use some assistance, let me help you create that magical life you want and deserve!