We’ve made it to another year. Congrats! We’re officially past all the holiday season. The upside of a new year is being able to embrace all the New Year’s Energy around you. On the flip side, once we return to “real life”, that can fade. So how do you preserve that New Year’s Focus when the New Year isn’t quite as bright and shiny?

Unfortunately, sometimes life feels like a little bit of a letdown after the excitement of the holiday season. And you may be beginning to worry that you’ll lose the excitement of those resolutions and goals you made for the New Year.

And though I get it, I’ll tell you a secret: the way to usher those dreams and goals and resolutions into your reality? It lies in your ordinary days. So, the real trick is to is to settle back into the normal rhythm of life. And find a way to include the giddy excitement of those dreams into your everyday life. I am also the first one to admit that it can be a real struggle to get back into the swing of things.

And some of you are already berating yourself for losing your  New Year’s focus and resolve.

First of all, darling, if you are flagellating yourself, put the whip down.  It’s impossible for love and courage to occupy the same space as fear and castigation. I know that the reality of life makes those New Year’s dreams seem impossible, but baby, let me tell you, that just isn’t true.

For years, I made New Year’s resolutions and big goals that never went beyond January. I was intelligent, had the desire, but I often felt stuck and unproductive.  I would berate myself for not having enough willpower and be all kinds of mean to myself for not making progress. That changed when I realized that, while I had deep desires, what I was lacking to achieve those goals was a process to help me stay on track.

Since then, I’ve put together a personal tool box – a collection of techniques and tasks to help me stay on target. And the truth is, it’s easier than you may think.

Here are Nine Ways to Keep Your New Year’s Focus on Path

One – Remember Today is a Fresh Start

First of all, every day is an opportunity to begin fresh.  You can adjust your focus, change your word of the year, get back on path and rededicate yourself to your desires any day. In fact, if you feel like you’ve already lost your focus, choose a date in the future to begin your New Year. (Mine doesn’t officially begin until January 14th this year).

Two – Embrace Structure

Don’t underestimate how supportive nourishing routines can be.  While they may seem restrictive, routines are actually about freedom.  Routines help you manage your energy effectively so that you can channel it towards your real desires and purpose.  Routines fuel your day and nourish your spirit. Making your dreams part of your daily life helps you preserve that New Year’s focus.

Three – Remind Yourself You Can Desire More

Sometimes, we lose focus on our goals because we think we’re asking for too much. This is especially important to remember when your life is already pretty darned good. Remind yourself that you can love your life AND still desire more.

Four – Decide NOT to Do Something

Let me tell you darling, the more “to dos” you try to squeeze into your day the less you actually get done.    So this week, eliminate just one thing from your to do list that you don’t delight in. Give yourself plenty of white space so that you can breathe. And my challenge to you as a part of preserving that New Year’s focus is to really look at your goals and decide what doesn’t fit your deeper desires.

Five – Grant Yourself Permission to Be Imperfect

Write yourself a permission slip to forgive yourself for not being perfect.  Those imperfections that you perceive as flaws  are what make you, well, so wonderfully you. Remember that you are allowed to change the plans and the rules you set for your life.  It’s your life, and nothing is written in stone.

Six – Declutter Your Spaces

Everything your world has energy, and this includes your physical space. Clear that pile of magazines off the coffee table, remove all the clothes in your closet that you don’t love, and get rid of all the knick knacks that are gathering dust.If you don’t love it, chunk it. Because clutter blocks your dreams.

Seven – Make Time for Play

When you are feeling overwhelmed or uninspired, release your inner child and play around. Jump rope, grab some crayons and draw a picture, play backgammon with your partner or crank up the music and dance around the house. When you don’t include regular non-work play in your world, it’s bad for your well-being, and can actually lead to stress, fatigue, and depression.

Eight – Listen to Your Body

Take a few moments to plan your meals so that you aren’t tempted to eat drive-through meals.  Instead of eating,  dine. Sit at a table with plates and real silverware. Drink water.  You cannot thrive if you fuel your body with high-fat, high-sodium foods. Really tune into your body and give it what it’s asking for.

And while we’re talking about listening to your body, you probably need to get more sleep. Feeling worn down and exhausted is no way to preserve that New Year’s focus.In the fast-paced lives that we live, we often forgo sleep in an attempt to get caught up. So, make sleep important.

Nine – Break Your Goals into Manageable Pieces

Sometimes, we lose that New Year’s focus because the goals we want to pursue are too big. And we don’t quite know where to start. You must break down those bigger goals into small, bite sized pieces. And, take that next baby step towards that goal ASAP so you can harness the power of that New Year’s focus for good.

I know it will be challenging at first. Your mind will begin to list the bazillion things that need to be done before bed. But instead of listening to your mind, you need to listen to your body. I have faith that you can embody and achieve your biggest dreams.  You just need a few tools to help preserve your passion!  And  I’m here to help in any way I can.


Would you like help choosing a Word of the Year for 2024?

Here’s what you’ll find in A Guiding Light for 2024: Discover Your Word of the Year.
    • In Part One, you’ll take a look back as you Bid Farewell to 2023.
    • You’re invited to look ahead to 2024 and begin to breathe life into your desires as you explore Part Two.
    • In Part Three, you’ll review a list of more than 1000 words and begin pondering what Word (or words) is right for YOU in 2024.
    • To help you gain clarity, Part Four provides you with a series of tools to help you gain clarity around the best Word to serve as a touchstone to serve as your companion through your journey in 2024.
    • In Part Five, you’ll Declare Your Word (or Words) of 2024.
I’ve also added two Bonus section to help you you create a more nourishing year.

Bonus One explores Ways to Work with Your Word of the Year. This section suggests a dozen ways to help seal your Word…and more than a dozen journal prompts to continue to check-in with your Word throughout 2024.

Bonus Two is an invitation to dive into your emotions. There, I’ll share how you can use your emotions for good. And as a path and process for creating days that are more nourished. And satisfying.

Get your FREE Copy of this powerful workbook: A Guiding Light for 2022: Discover Your Word of the Year.

>>Want to read more tips on how to love your life? Click here!<<

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