Christmas Tree is by the roadside waiting for pick up.  Whew! What a season.

It’s 2013 and I want more….

“More what?” you might ask…

Qualifying and quantifying these goals can take a little bit of planning but I do love getting my groove on every year with my journal and some quiet space in the house and mapping out my plans to achieve a few goals.  This does not always happen on Jan first.  It happens when I have a couple hours to myself!

Before I list them out – I should make a point to say that the exercise itself can cause a bit of anxiety, and if it does- it means that you are

a) Either attached to them as a burden VS. an opportunity or challenge or

b) You feel like it’s an exercise in futility because you did not accomplish what you set out to accomplish last year…

but there are a few other reasons

c) You have forgotten to dream and have become cynical and resigned.

d) You have way to many things on your list and immediately overwhelm yourself.

e) Have chosen something too obscure or vague.

As I sit down with my journal I’m not even particularly preoccupied with what I did or did not cross off my list from last year… instead I take a quick inventory of the things I appreciate, liked or feel grateful for from 2012.  I think of the few things I take pride in that I have manifested, and how these things might inform my new goals for this year

Here are mine from 2012:  Notice how I chose five that were the over arching themes for me this year- just try to “Bottom line” it.

1.  Accomplished moving into a new home, settling in, and making it warm and inviting and functional for my family.
2.  My divorce was final this past August which gave me closure and a new sense of “beginning again”.
3.  I was able to successfully parter with three other women for The Revelation Project who brought amazing laughs, challenges, insights, growth, and creativity to the future of the company/project.
4. I made a positive difference in the lives of others by making one of my goals to simply: Give to others with no strings attached whether that was in thought, deed or words.
5. Got my kids in a couple of extra curricular activities in area’s they are gifted, and interested.

So- I know these are kind of general but under each one of them there is an amazing amount of activity that needed to take place in order to achieve those five things but if I were to have listed out all the steps necessary on my goal list I may have never gotten out of bed on January second!

Then I listed the BONUS accomplishments that have more to do with focusing on my positive FEELINGS about my year….

1. I learned SO MUCH about myself this year like: ( I feel great when I go workout, I have ADHD which was a recent discovery, I love being organized even if it’s sporadic and inconsistant, I enjoy getting out for adventures with my family, I actually like purging possessions and getting more clarity on what things I want and don’t want in my life).
2. I stretched myself and grew through some very uncomfortable situations.
3. Everything that was “revealed” to me can now inform my new goals for this year and the things that were revealed that I’m not wild about can also be addressed this year!

As you go through your list- try not to be harsh or judgmental with yourself.  There is simply no point to be-rating yourself for any mistakes, mis-steps, upsets, or challenges that were not able to be resolved- just note them as a “not yet” instead of an epic fail.

As I make these notes I am able to gather some important feelings about my accomplishments or my “Not yet’s” that I want to mark on my goals list for this year.

My list this year looks like this:

1. Beginning my book called “My Revelation Project” ( this way even if I get a few words on the page I have success!) 
2. Choosing two “adventures” I can have with my family this year that are outside my normal comfort zone ( ie; camping!)
3. Continuing to “explore” new experiences – adding a yoga class or two, signing myself up for a class at All That Matters, or committing to a road trip with a friend or whatever.
4. Creating a workday or office “system” for the Project that will allow for easier collaboration with my partners.
5. Simplifying my home life in a way that will allow for more creative “flow” that will positively impact my desire to be creative with projects, cooking, cleaning, parenting, romance, cash-flow.

Now I can free style a list of things I desire to do in those area’s

1. Learn to cook three new dishes that my family likes 
2. Tone and strengthen my body
3. Have a wildly fun trip with friends or family
4. Be open to income generating opportunities that present themselves within the new company structure we’ve designed for the project.
5. Love to be at home in my space, cooking, writing, creating, gardening, or just hanging around.

Yes.. these are now goals that I can get behind, and that inspire me. They don’t lock me in to unmanageable expectations of myself, and they don’t make me feel like throwing in the towel before I’ve even begun. Anything I get done that might be “task” oriented and boring can now fall into categories that were designed to inspire me  - for instance.

I have a TAX bill that needs to be dealt with from my past business – I can address that knowing that in doing so it will free up my head space and the energy that keeps me from doing things I love.  This “task” would address the issue as well as fall into a few of the categories above such as:

• #5 Simplifying my home life in a way that will allow for more creative “flow” that will positively impact my desire to be creative with projects, cooking, cleaning, parenting, romance, cash-flow.

and this would allow me to

• #5 Love to be at home in my space, cooking, writing, creating, gardening, or just hanging around
  

Just sitting down to write out your list can be a great exercise in getting related to your aspirations.  Don’t worry about getting it all down- just choose general categories of life where you’d like to see some improvement and let those categories themselves inspire you into action or dreaming.  If you allow yourself to “reveal” your desires- you will then be able to aspire toward them.

Here’s to a New Year of Revelations!

How do you create your New Years resolutions? Can you share one thing you’ve learned about yourself or one thing you feel proud of accomplishing this past year? We’d love to hear from you in the comments below.