New Year’s Ritual 2019

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Start:

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Carve out intentional time to sit alone and think. For me, 1 hour (and a smidgen more) is good.

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Get cozy. Have something warm to sip on. Light a candle, incense, aromatherapy, or nothing at all.

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Make a prayer for guidance + clarity.

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Breathe. Grab a pen and paper.

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Jot down your 2018 highlights.

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Ask yourself and write down: What good happened? What was accomplished? What smiles do I remember? What relationships formed? What brought joy this year? If you’ve journaled some of this, pull back the pages and jot down some highlights of each one.

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Reflect. Savor those moments and soak in gratitude.

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Now, think about things that didn’t go so well. Negative experiences. Thoughts you held onto that don’t serve you anymore. Poor eating habits, social media OD, road rage, old thinking patterns, etc.

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Introspect. Don’t dwell on this but kindly note these things to yourself.

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Write these things down on a piece of paper and when you’re done, crumble/tear it up and discard (or safely burn.)

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This is a symbolic way of letting go. You can also exhale these thoughts out, however, the former is more powerful.

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Your mind should be clearer now.

Your heart should be lighter.

You may even have a sweet smile on your face.

Good. Let’s move forward.

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On a blank piece of paper or new page in your journal, write down the thoughts that pop-up when you think of 2019.

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Ask yourself: how does my heart, mind, spirit, and body feel?

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What does my best self feel and look like?

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What beautiful imperfections shall I embrace?

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How can I be better?

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This is easily a descriptive page of its own.

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Next: Divide a page into any of the following (more or less) categories and jot down how you want to feel and what you want to accomplish in each category: health, fitness, finance, business, family, social, lifestyle, spiritual, etc.

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Then, ask yourself: what are my top 3 (or more but keep it concise and potent) goals for this year? What steps do I need to take to reach those goals? What do I need to do daily, weekly, monthly, and quarterly to inch closer to those goals?

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Be visionary. Be intentional. Be specific. But be flexible as needed. Try not to solidify Plan B’s in your sheet. Be deliberate enough with your primary goals and trust your expansive capacities to achieve.

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Remind yourself why you have these goals. What purpose do these goals serve? This question will keep them close to heart.

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Have a place where you can easily refer back to these notes.

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You may choose to hang these up. Or you may wish to keep them close in your notebook or transferred to your phone.

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The important thing is to be mindful of these things through the unknown ahead.

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They will drive you forward when things get heavy and static or as distraction kicks in. You will be able to gather yourself and pick right back up more quickly. Trust me.

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They will serve as familiar pointers, almost like advise from a close friend, in the days and months to come.

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