Well, 2017 is two week’s behind us now!  I hear over and over again how fast time is flying by and I feel the same way!  There are reminders everywhere to slow down and enjoy the moments.  Definitely a 2018 new year’s resolution for me is to slow down and play hooky more!  Last year was a great year for us.  We launched our business in India, we spent almost 3 weeks in Tahiti with family and my company and we purchased what is becoming our dream home!  Those are probably what I would call the “biggest wins”.

A learning moment would come from saying goodbye to a dear friend of many years.  My friend Carol passed away a couple weeks ago and I will very much miss her.  I want to learn from her and remember how much joy she found in small things and how much she laughed.  I think I will miss her laugh the most!

My best personal memory for the year would have to be when Mark and I walked into the home we now own for the first time.  We have been looking at homes for a couple of years and about 10 minutes after we were walking through this one for the first time, we turned to each other and said “This is it.  We are going to write an offer.”  Also a lesson in moving fast when you know you have to/want to do something.  If we had waited one more day, I don’t think we would have gotten the house and land that is perfect for us!

With all that said, I think it would be helpful to explore ways to make OUR 2018 powerful, meaningful, and full of personal and business success. My wish for each and every one of you is that you have a great 2018!  Here are 7 Ways to ring in the new-year with bells on!

Set 5 Big Audacious Goals for Your New Year.

5 big goals may seem overwhelming, but there are usually at least 5 major areas of importance in our lives, things we want and need to give our attention to. For instance, yours could include Business / Financials / Spirituality / Family / Health & Nutrition / Creativity & Travel.

Setting goals for some, or all of these areas makes it possible to maintain some sense of balance in an ever-changing world. When you know your priorities, it makes it so much easier to accomplish your goals on a micro level – day by day.

Bonus points if you share these goals with your community, a close friend, or your partner. Accountability breeds legitimacy!  I share my yearly goals, dreams and resolutions with a close group of girlfriends.  In fact, we have been meeting twice a month on calls for 10 years!  Today as I write this, it is our 10 year anniversary!

Pick a Guiding Word for Your Year.

This is one of my FAVORITE activities. It’s such a gorgeous practice to sit down with a dictionary and a hot cup of tea to pick a word that rings true. This word is powerful.  It is THE word that you want to describe your year.  In one word.  So you have to be laser focused and really think about what is the MOST important feeling for you to have this year!  The word you pick will bring a central focus to your life, and can be applied to all of your goals.

My word for 2017 was Joy and for 2016 my word was Healthy.  I will be figuring out 2018’s word this week but I know it is going to have to do with play, creativity, fun and health.  It will be a trick to find the one word that best describes that! 

Spend An Hour Reflecting on the Best Moments of 2017.  

Self reflection is crucial to personal growth. But reflecting on the happiest days of your life from the previous year is crucial for your own inner sense of wellbeing. Beautiful things happen all the time. We often overlook them though, instead focusing on the painful events in life.

What was the best family moment of 2017?

What was an awesome business achievement of 2017?

What made you laugh the hardest in 2017?

Who made you smile the most in 2017?

My answers in that order:  Christmas Day with my Mom and 35 family members.  Opening India with my business.  My girlfriends.  My Husband.

I say, allow the joyful moments to shape you just as much as the painful ones. Our health, vibrancy, and ability to get back up after a fall, will all be greatly increased when we do!

Call 5 Friends Who Mean the World to You and Thank Them.  

Who are the people that make your life worth living? Who do you consider a part of your inner circle? When was the last time you let them know how important they are to you?

Take out a piece of paper and write down 5 names. Whether they live close or far away, make it a priority to call them or write to them (yes, write an actual letter!) before the new year.

After all, these are YOUR people, the people who make life so much better. They are your tribe and will be there for you no matter what.  Don’t they deserve a little love in return?  I LOVE getting an old-fashioned letter and can’t wait to write my 5 letters this week!

Complete 1 Random Act of Kindness.

This is such a fun one, and there are a million ways to make it happen.

Maybe anonymously donate to a charity that you love, but don’t often support. Maybe next time you’re in line at the coffee shop, pay for the person behind you. Maybe bake some cookies, and gift them to an elderly neighbour.  The world is a mirror and these random acts of kindness one act at a time makes our world and our lives a better place to be!  The other day when I left the bank, there was a homeless mom outside and I slipped her a $20 – the gift for me was seeing her smile.  

Look for opportunities in your day to day routine. There is always a way to give back, no matter how small!

Celebrate Anything That Slipped Through the Cracks.

Life gets busy. Kids and work and groceries and family obligations and, and, and…

There’s a good chance that something awesome happened this year that you really didn’t take the time to savour. Was it a successful business project that you never properly celebrated? Was it a family member’s achievement that went unnoticed? Was it a teammate’s success, that maybe got brushed under the rug during a busy time of year?

Look back in your calendar for missed opportunities to celebrate, and then have a little joy fest.  Make sure you tell people how proud you are of them.  We took our oldest daughter to the airport the other day to start her last semester of college and as I kissed her goodbye, I told her how proud I was of her.  I remember when my Dad used to say that to me how much it meant to me!

Buy a few cupcakes to share and celebrate, take a long walk with your friend, or write a celebratory card to your colleague.

Let Go of Your Losses , and Allow Gratitude to Shape Your Life Moving Forward.

If there was a lot of rough patches for you in 2017, take the time you need to let go of that pain/anxiety/disappointment. But do  let go of what you can.  Make a list of your losses, and then make a new list of reasons to be grateful for them – or reasons to feel grateful for what they taught you.  I love what Tony Robbins teaches that if you are going to “blame” someone or something for all the bad things then you have to remember to “credit” them or it for the good things too.  Another way of looking at it!

This one isn’t easy but I am going to do this too:  Set the intention to feel grateful every single day 2018. Frame your life with gratitude as your guiding principal, and 2018 will shape up just fine. At the end of the day, that cliche saying about how gratitude affects everything is TRUE!  I hope this list is helpful to you. You don’t have to do them all, but even picking just one of these things and actually doing it this January, is sure to have a major impact on your overall happiness.  A

All the best to a great New Year in 2018!!