What percentage are you?

How are your New Year's Resolutions going?

Are you still doing some semblance of what you promised yourself?

Do you even remember what they are?

Don’t worry if they’ve gone to the wayside, 85% of us will have abandoned our New Year resolutions by the end of the month and over 90% by the end of the year!

That’s a lot of lost dreams and desires, don’t you think?

It actually makes me a little sad.

I know from my own experience what it feels like to have a big vision for your life and to pursue it. The sense of expansion and growth that comes from stepping out of our comfort zone and embodying the type of woman who would be/do/have what you vision for yourself. It’s exhilarating and liberating. It opens us up to our limitless potential.

You see, when we do what we say we are going to do, we learn to trust ourselves again. As we do this, we build self-efficacy, opening the door to where our wisdom and potential reside. The more self-trust we build, the wider the door opens.

We start to feel safe again, and when we feel safe, we are more likely to dream bigger, aim higher and take more inspired action.

The thing to remember when setting New Year Resolutions (or any goal in fact) is that the joy is not found at the end of the journey after a prolonged period of hustle and sacrifice.  The joy is IN the process of becoming a more evolved, transformed version of you.

New Year's Resolutions are so much more than losing weight, running a marathon or winning a promotion.

You see, as we pursue our greatest desires and the vision we hold for ourselves, we become MORE of who we are, not different to who we are.

So, it’s never too late to regroup and reconnect to that vision.

I have a four-step process that I use to set myself up for success. You can use it too.

1.     Reflect: look back on the year gone by and, if you're able to, use your diary and/or calendar to see how you spent your time. Did you spend time on things that were aligned with your values? What do you want to experience more of? What do you want to experience less of? What needs to change for you, and WHY is it so important? 

2.     Reimagine: if you had a blank piece of paper, what vision would you imagine for yourself? What excites you? What are those deep desires hidden in there? Take some time to create this vision. The feelings, the smells, the sounds. Who is that woman you would be becoming, and what advice would she give you?

3.     Reframe: It’s time to put on the black hat. When you look at that vision, what are all the reasons you come up with as to why you CAN’T have that lif?. List them all. Even if they sound nonsensical or ridiculous at first thought. Go through them and ask yourself – are they really true? Are they being said in your voice or somebody else’s (a parent, perhaps)? Then cross them out and write a more positive and empowering version of that belief. 

4.     Reset: It’s time to take some action. But, now it will be inspired action. What are the small steps you can take that will put you on the path to where you want to go? They don’t have to be huge or radical just consistent, achievable steps that help build momentum. Create some anchors that provide a regular reminder of what you are working towards. Finally embody that woman you are becoming.

Your dreams and desires are too important to leave to chance. If you have ambitions that aren’t set up for yet (ie: you want to climb Mount Everest but with school aged kids and a mortgage that’s not realistic for now) – don’t abandon that dream, instead embody what a woman who climbs Mt Everest looks like! Perhaps she’s adventurous – what other ways can you embody adventure. Perhaps she’s brave – what other ways can you embody bravery?