Set yourself up for success in 2023 - A powerful New Year's ritual
A New Beginning
Are you like me? Do you tingle with anticipation on the first day of the year? It’s like opening the cover of a new book, with a beautiful story just waiting to be devoured, or reaching for a new canvas shimmering with possibility.
I know – it’s just a day that we arbitrarily assign with a new number. But still, it IS a new number and there’s a lot of power in that. We get to mentally close the book that was 2022 and reflect, celebrate accomplishments and milestones, release heartaches and pain, and say goodby before we grab a new canvas and write a new story.
And so on this first day of the year, I’d like to take you with me on my little ritual of closing out the old year and setting myself up for success in the new. Would you like to join me? Grab a pen and paper and let’s dive in!
Close out 2022
Look back on the past year and make 2 separate lists on 2 different pieces of paper (the reason for this will become apparent in a minute)
Sheet 1 - Reasons to Celebrate
List out all of the things you can think of that brought you joy and made you feel successful in big and small ways. Here are some ideas to get you started:
Projects I accomplished
Small things I’m proud of
Wonderful things happened to me
Wonderful things that happened because of me
People I uplifted
People that came into my life / became a special part of my life
Beauty I sent out into the world
Beauty the world sent to me
Things I created that brought me joy
Things I created that brought others joy
Things other people created that brought me joy
Anything else about 2022 that makes me feel good
Set your Reasons to Celebrate sheet where you can see it and each day this week, read your accomplishments, celebrate the beauty you let into your life, and allow yourself to smile, pump your fist in the air, raise your arms and say ‘I DID THIS!’ You deserve to celebrate all of the beauty that’s in this world because of you!
Sheet 2 - Baggage to Release
The next sheet is just as important as the first, because us creatives can hold onto heartache. We ruminate. We beat ourselves up over and over again for our real and perceived failings. We take things personally. It’s so important to let it all go and, for me, it’s best to not just do this mentally, but also physically.
On your second sheet of paper write out the stuff that dragged you down last year such as:
Icky things happened to me
Stressful situations that are still holding me down or causing pain
Stuff I’m ruminating about
Injuries
Illnesses
Mistakes
Things I promised but didn’t deliver (and I’m feeling guilty about)
Things I said that I wish I could take back
Things other people said that hurt
Things that bug me about my neighbor or the guy on the freeway or the woman in line at the post office
Situations when I felt left out, invisible, forgotten
Situations when I felt overwhelmed and snapped
Anything else about 2022 that makes me feel bad
Once you’ve written it down, you’ve taken the first step in releasing it from your body. Now, resist the urge to read it ever again. It’s done and it’s time to let it go. Now, here’s the best bit – Let’s Burn It Up!
‘Burnt Sand’
Yes, there are times I have literally burned my Baggage to Release paper on a little bonfire at the beach – and if you haven’t done it before, it’s really liberating.
Now-a-days, however, I prefer to compost the icky stuff – I literally stick my sheet of paper deep into the compost pile (sometimes I tear it up into tiny pieces first)! It feels fresh and rejuvenating: to take what was painful and send it back into the earth, let the earthworms and bacteria do their thing until what was sorrow and pain, is now fertile soil for new seeds of possibility.
Now we’re ready to welcome in 2023
Are you with me still? YAY if you are!
A new year is an open canvas, full of hope and ideas and projects just waiting to happen!
Let’s make a 2023 Goals List!
Making a list at the beginning of the year focuses my attention on big projects that are important to me and helps me avoid drowning in everyday tasks. This is a fabulous time-management skill that I’ll share sometime! For now, trust me, writing your big goals on a sheet of paper is one of the most powerful things you can do to set yourself up for success in 2023.
Write down your 5 Biggest Goals
Here are some ideas to get you started, don't forget to include both business and personal goals:
Big business project ideas
Personal goals, trips, projects
Household projects
Hobbies to start
Classes to take
You may need to let yourself live with this list a bit, and massage it over the next few days. Once it feels right, post it where you see it each morning and evening. Read it and visualize this time next year when you can write all of these goals on your 2023 Reasons to Celebrate list!
Celebrate all of your successes - even (and especially) the small ones. Because it’s truly the small things that add up to a Joy-filled life.
Sunrise off my deck looking towards Puget Sound and Mount Rainier
(yes, I do wake up to this view and yes, I pinch myself every day!)
Sum it up with a Word or Phrase for 2023
Finally, if it’s your thing, zero in on a word or phrase that captures your overall vision for the new year.
My word/phrase is ‘OPEN CANVAS’
In a way this does refer to actual art canvases and paintings-yet-to-be-created, but in fact, it means oh so much more...