I’ve been writing and pondering my own goals for 2012 as well as working with lots of people just recently naturally thinking about the New Year and what it will hold.
This got me thinking about giving, and contributing, to family and to Life in general, so grab a cup of coffee and a pen – print this sheet out and write on it, and just take a few moments to ponder:
• What do you hope to give to 2011 as well as what do you hope to receive from it?
• If you could give 2010 a name that sums it all up ….. what would it be? Maybe you could even give it a colour…..? If you’ve found it a tough year accept that it has been challenging, difficult or painful and take some time now to imagine it physically behind you like a memory from deep in the past – like a film you’ve watched a long time ago.
Now imagine you are standing on a beautiful beach with the sun on your back – now draw a line in front of you in the sand and step over it ready to embrace a new year with endless new possibilities.
If it has been a brilliant year bring it really up close to you full of colour and enjoy the feelings, sounds and pictures it reminds you of and plan to make this year full of the same experiences with even more laughter and fun and great times ahead and see this happy future flowing out in front of you into 2011.
Now ask yourself:
• What would you like 2011 to stand for?
Perhaps you’d like the theme “A Radiant Life” where it is your time to shine. Perhaps your gift to yourself over the next twelve months is to make every day vibrant, more meaningful or more fun or to accept yourself without judging yourself too harshly or adding anything to yourself or even tinkering with yourself.
Other themes could be: possibilities, harmony, patience, inspiration, tolerance – just take a few moments to create a theme for yourself this year whatever feels right for you and jot it down here to remind you:
• Now set a goal to achieve something that is so big, so exhilarating, so amazing that it excites you and scares you at the same time! It must be a goal that is so appealing, so much in line with your spiritual core that you can’t get it out of your mind.
If you don’t get goose bumps, excitement and butterflies all at the same time in your tummy when you think of it when you set a goal, then you’re not setting big enough goals!
Relax, start to breathe deeply and really slowly and feel grounded, centred, positive and happy and write your goals and dreams here now and just let go of reality, the mortgage and the credit crunch for a few lovely, glorious and juicy moments and imagine I have waved a magic wand for you!
What would you really like to happen in 2011?
This exercise is not about beating yourself up about last year’s mistakes, disappointments or failures – it’s about learning from them – it’s also about really, really celebrating your successes and accomplishments no matter how small and patting yourself on the back for them.
For most champions, their great accomplishment was not the end of their greatness; rather it was the beginning of greater things to come.
There is a great little video that I find inspires me called Finish Strong and it’s attitude is grounded in the principle that you never “get there” in life and that you are always moving forward. www.thefinishstrongmovie.com/
So as you reflect, ponder and raise your champagne this New Year’s Eve may your greatest achievements be in front of you and may you always Finish Strong!
Here’s to a great 2011 and I look forward to hearing your thoughts, ideas and hopes for the New Year.
Sue Atkins is a Parenting Expert who offers practical guidance for bringing up happy, confident, well behaved children. She is also the author of “Raising Happy Children for Dummies” one in the famous black and yellow series published worldwide and the highly acclaimed Parenting Made Easy CDs. She regularly appears on BBC Breakfast and The Jeremy Vine Show on BBC Radio 2 and her parenting articles are published all over the world.
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