The magic is in the air.

New clean slate.

That new diary/planner smell.

Shiny clean wall calendar with all those blank spaces.

All the hopes and dreams to be found in endless possibilities.

So let's begin!

What do you want to feel throughout 2017?

What do you want To Be?

To do?

To Have?

Look at these areas of your life: Review where you stand. Then what do you want to achieve by the end of 2017

Home/Environment.
Romance.
Friends & Family.
Work/Career.
Spirituality.
Hobby/Thing you do JUST FOR THE JOY.
Physical Health.
Mental/Emotional Health.
Finances.
Personal Development

Set SMART goals. Set one word intention for the year. Set SMARTER goals. Set 90 day goals. Set Habit goals. What is your 3 year plan? Five year plan?

...

hyperventilating yet?

I LOVE planning, but I know that list makes me both excited & anxious.

Anxious like, I’m going to just curl into a ball in bed for the next month. See you later!

If only I had set myself up earlier.

If only I didn't forget all these appointments in January. So now I'm catching up on that & falling behind of everything else.

If only I had made my 2017 plans before the crazy busyness of Christmas.

If I had just crossed all those to do lists off AND made the PERFECT plan

I would be so much further along by now.

I would find this work so much easier - just follow the next step

Instead I’m still creating a plan from scratch, tying up loose ends. Starting projects that HAS TO START NOW.

while also catching up on ALL THE THINGS.

no wonder chocolate & tv has featured so heavily in my diet the last few weeks

Overwhelm is coming back - like an old smell that lingers.

No matter how many times you blast that shit with bleach.

No matter how long you put it in the sun.

That smell…

it smells like fear & regret & doubts & just a hint of self-loathing. Only because you know that YOU KNOW BETTER.

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Start where you are.

Yup it’s totally not perfect.

Yeah, it may be easier if you had just made that to do list and weekly plan LAST week. Instead of right now. In the middle of everything else.

Yeah, probably should have maintain your exercises instead of letting that slip. So now that bad back is another thing to look into

Just put it on the list.

Start where you are.

pick one thing. do that thing. finish that thing.

Pick another ONE thing. Do that.

Keep going until it’s time to go to bed.

Cos that bad back needs sleep lady

...

Sure, it would be totally easier if you had a cleaner, a chef, a housekeeper, a butler, a maid, a nanny, chauffeur, a personal stylist, personal dresser and a host of personal assistants all just waiting to make YOUR life amazing.

Plus all the money in the world to pay for all this & it just falls magically into your lap.

So, you know, you don’t have to worry about taxes and banking and stuff.

OH and a 27hr day would be good thanks!

Maybe if you only need like, 2 hours of sleep?

Use what you DO have.

It can be easy to focus on the gap ahead of you.

Between where you are and where you want to be.

that gap only grows bigger the longer you stare at it.

Plus it makes you feel SHIT! about yourself. about your life. ALL. THE. THINGS.

I know when I feel like that, I lose what little energy I have left to keep going.

Instead, look at where you are now.

Look for what you DO have.

Look back at all that you've done between who you were to who you are now.

No, not all the things you WISHED you had done. That's looking at the gaps.

i bet there are moments that make you happy & proud of your amazing self & life.

Yes, this is that gratitude practice you keep hearing about.

What can you do today?

What do you have on hand?

What one thing, no matter how small, can you say you’re proud of? That you’re happy with.

If you say nothing, you have a different (too big for my expertise) problem and I lovingly suggest you focus on finding someone to talk to and work on your mental and emotional health.

...

you do have something!

You’re reading this! (*patting myself on the back* Ha! No, seriously I thank you for connecting with me here. All my love!)

You made time to think about yourself!

You know you have the next 5 minutes to do a brain dump and write down ALL THE THINGS.

once it’s out of your head, you’ll instantly feel lighter.

The overwhelm may still linger, but you can SEE it and it is contained onto that sheet of paper.

You have a pen. You have a piece of paper.

Pick one thing on that list. The most important. Most urgent. I don’t care.

yes there are strategies to a more ‘efficient system’

but right now that smell isn’t going away and you ain't go no time to go learn another new system.

pick one thing. do that one thing. You’ll feel empowered and get some energy back to keep going.

I also know that YOU KNOW one thing you can do. Been wanting to try. Had done before but fell off that bandwagon.

Whatever it is, you know that one thing will help lift you up and move one baby step forward.

Not asking for the perfect thing. Nor a miracle here.

I just know as you're reading this, something popped up in your head like a little hopeful hand waving at you. Go do that thing.

Do what you can

While you’re doing that one thing on your list. Something WILL COME UP.

You will hit a roadblock.

Your back will give out a bit. You’ll walk like an old old lady. An old lady with arthritis. Painfully slowly and in pain.

Someone may vomit all over you. Or you're the one stuck in the toilet.

You may need something you don’t actually have and didn’t know you needed or even how you're going to get it.

Basically all the signs will scream at you to STOP.

You’re going the wrong way.

You’re the wrong person for this job

You’re doing it wrong

You’re just not good enough.

That’s what the voices will say. Yes, you have voices in your head now on top of that bad back.

it’s not a sign to stop

it’s not a sign that you’re doing the wrong thing

it’s definitely not a sign you're the wrong person.

what if it’s just part of the process?

If it was totally easy, you would have done it already remember?

what if it's a sign that you're on the way? bumps and potholes as a way to boost your determination. your energy. your resolve.

So what to do?

you do what you can.

if you need to pause a moment to get the tools you need. Do that

If you need to ask for help. Do that

If you need to put it aside, because something else moved up the priority list? Do that!

If you can put aside the emotional attachment that what happened was a personal attack on you - you can keep going.

which will then make you feel stronger, better & more empowered. Which starts the circle of happy which means more energy and motivation to keep going. Before you know it, your ambitious self will be back. Your super powers will come help you kick ass.

And you’ll remember all that awesome you're looking for? You’ve always had within you.

MAY YOU FIND THE MAGIC WAS IN YOU ALL ALONG