I love January- the clean, crisp promise of new beginnings. It’s time to think back and reflect but also make plans for the year being born. It makes me happy to see a blank page in the planner and on the calendar and wonder what it will be filled with. It’s the same feeling I get when snow falls on the ground and shows a white, clean canvas. With that same hopeful attitude, I start thinking about New Year’s Resolutions and how to be a better, changed person. Let’s be ready for 2018 and carry the January feeling through to the end of the year!

2017 was a confusing year

Personally, I experienced a good deal of growth and happiness but as a country I think we experienced division and turmoil. I think we are a country waiting to be reborn (if you don’t believe me watch this video for some inspiration). And we’re each responsible to bring light and hope into the world and make our individual lives as fruitful as possible.

How do we do that? How do we form resolutions that bring value to everyday life, rather than feel like a chore?

Look Inward

I start thinking about the year ahead in December. Who do I want to be?  What do I want to feel? What am I willing to contribute? There’s reflection and writing and wondering. Listen to your inner being- that inner light that leads you to places of joy and depth. It’s a great time to meditate and pray on your life.

As the holiday season transfers from Christmas to that waiting week between December 25th and New Year’s, I take time to journal.  In 2016, for the first time, I also did a vision board.  A great gal in my life  introduced us to creating a vision board for the year ahead. I’m now hooked!

Vision Board Your Year!

When I first heard about vision boards I was skeptical.  How could cutting and pasting random images help me? Now I know that this creative exercise is about energy and focus.  As you flip through magazines, don’t judge what you are drawn to- just cut it out.  Then when you are done, you can assemble them into a form that feels meaningful to you.

I did this in 2016 and it really worked– the things I focused on ended up being things I did or learned or attracted to my life in 2017. Call it the Law of Attraction or call it tapping into yourself- I found it FUN!

On New Year’s Eve 2017, I did the same and the board is a story I’m going to fulfill in the coming year.

New Year’s Resolutions

The vision board also helped me connect to my dreams and ambitions for 2018. What I want most is to be mindful this year. I want to be aware of my thoughts, actions, words and impact I have on others. I want to contribute to the business I’m lucky enough to have a job with, to my clients’ bottom lines, to my community, and my beloveds.  But most of all, I want be blissfully in love with each morning.

What Do YOU Want?

I challenge you to indulge in deep dreams this year. Plan for your best future and you will achieve that happy tomorrow. The Light is in your soul.

I have occasionally spoken of a light in the soul which is uncreated and uncreatable.  I constantly return in my sermons to this light, which apprehends God without medium, without concealment and nakedly, just as he is in himself. (Meister Eckhart)