Happy New Year my beautiful Dreamers!
I had every intention of writing a post on the first day of January, however I ended up spending some time with family and worked a bit on a workshop I am co-hosting later this month. I did, however want to share with you how I am implementing my “planning” for the year, but before I get into that, let’s talk a bit about why everyone gets so worked up over resolutions.
It seems logical that a shiny new year is the right time to make changes in life, but the reason so many people fail to keep their resolutions is because they can often be both overzealous and all-or-nothing. For instance, wanting to get into shape doesn’t necessarily mean you have to run 50 miles a week right off the bat and it certainly doesn’t mean you have to cut out large food groups from your diet. Other resolutions like wanting to stop smoking or drinking sodas tends to render the same effect. People want immediate change and while it might last for a few days, it very rarely results in lasting change.
While I haven’t really been a bit resolution maker in the past, I tend to get excited about what a new year may bring. There seems to be a special appeal about making big changes and goals beginning on the first day of the year. It’s similar to the feeling I get when I purchase a new notebook or journal. Crisp pages, with the promise of fresh ideas, creative pieces, and other amazing creations that may appear on the page. The New Year is like that for many.
In the past two years I have found that I benefit best from planning for the year ahead in pieces. I don’t get too serious about the big, bold steps in between, and am more concerned with the first one. Knowing what I want to accomplish is a wonderfully creative process where I get to visualize and imagine the best year yet, while still making room for surprises and other magical moments. I have also always wanted to try out a creative planning tool for the new year that takes a less “logical” approach to planning and this year I think I have found the one.
I am using Leonie Dawson’s 2014 Create Your Amazing Year planner for business and personal planning and boy is it a beautifully crafted, creative planner! And while the shiny, New Year was quickly approaching, I thought I would have an opportunity to dig into it before January 1st, but with family etc. I didn’t get as far as I initially wanted and that’s ok, because this year I am planning 2014 in pieces. January is going to be my month of brainstorming, dreaming, creating, and following my inspiration wherever it may lead. I already have some things in mind for this year and I am really looking forward to what is left to be revealed throughout the year. One thing is for sure, this year is going to be incredible.
The “logical” planner might wonder how I can be so sure of what the outcome will be if I don’t have a specific, step-by-step breakdown of how I am going to make this year epic. My answer? I know it because I not only trust that each step will lead me to the next, but I have also set the expectation that it will be.
And so it is.
photo credit: thomasstache via photopin cc