Setting 2013 Up For Success

So how do we set ourselves up for success in 2013? Not by starting a diet we won’t finish, not by getting a gym membership we’ll never use, not by implementing a spending freeze that’s impossible to keep up. Not by making our lives miserable with ‘shouldy’ goals that don’t make our heart sing, or by cutting out everything that makes our life enjoyable! In short, not by creating resolutions we won’t keep!

But by implementing practices and habits that will make our lives better on a daily basis. By starting the year with a little bit of planning sprinkled with some direct action and all covered in joy glitter! By getting really clear about what we want from 2013, making sure we’ve got the best resources to hand (smiles, friends and light-heartedness!), making sure we get the best from ourselves and starting to make it happen! Creating daily practices, habits, ideas and actions that will just make 2013 your BEST YEAR YET!

By the way, my idea of success isn’t working 80 hours a week and wearing a sharp suit. It’s falling in love with your life, enjoying it thoroughly and dancing through life with a HUGE smile on your face! So set yourself up for that kind of success this year!

Step One: Clarity

What do you REALLY want from your life? What would make your heart sing? What would make your soul radiate joy? What are your goals for 2013? What would you LOVE to have happen? Goals don’t have to be boring and dry as dust! One of my goals for this year is to be able to bounce for the whole of “Local Boy” and “Dakota” by the Stereophonics without collapsing in an exhausted, broken heap. 😀 It’s a fitness goal. I could have said “Be fit enough to run for 3 hours”, but that’s boring and I have zero motivation to do it. So what are your dreams/goals/desires for this year? Make a big, exciting list in gorgeous glittery gel pens of various colours. Fun it all up.

Take a moment to take a few deep breaths into your heart and ask “What is my Big Dream?”…you know that one that whispers to you when you’re quiet and open…the one that your mind dismisses as crazy…yeah, write that one down too! (or ‘them’ if you have multiple Big Dreams!)

Next, what Daily Practices do you want to continue or start this year? (think “things that will make my life better”, not “things I don’t want to do but think I should”!) You don’t have to relate them to your goals – sometimes life just isn’t that linear! Take the time to think about what daily practices you want to have in your life that you just know in your heart will make your life easier/better/more fun.

Next, are there any habits do you want to get into in 2013? My BIG habit is to SINGLE TASK this year – I’m determined to make it my default way of working (just realised I have 6 windows open right now. Hmm. This habit’s going to need some work!) I know this habit is going to make a HUGE difference to my life – making me more productive, so I can work less hours, achieve more and then play more with the rest of my time that I didn’t waste fecking around on facebook! Again, keep with what you WANT to happen, not habits you think you should have. Should’s are no fun, have no energy, are hard work and in general don’t happen at all. So don’t go wasting any time on shoulds!

Step Two: Getting the Best From Yourself

What are the things you need to have in place this year to set yourself up for success? Many of us try to set ourselves up for success by criticising, being hard on ourselves, holding our toes to the fire. But here’s the thing: it doesn’t work! All that does is undermine our confidence and make us feel bad about ourselves. And at worst, it actively holds us from what we want to do…I am too much of a rebellious teenager at heart to allow even myself to speak to me like that without kicking off!

So how do you get the best from yourself? What do you respond well to? I respond well to be taken care of, praised (celebrated), energised, danced, allowed to have fun, enjoying life whatever the outer picture looks like. In short: Self-care, energy and joy. Go back to your daily practices and habits, and add in anything you need to do to take EXCELLENT care of yourself, energise yourself, and enjoy your life on a day to day basis.

Make yourself a list of “Life Rules For 2013” – these rules are to remind you to get the best from yourself. On my life rules: “Be Gentle with Myself” – I am precious and I want to cherish myself accordingly. Next on the ‘rules list’: “Lighten Up” – in fact, “Light” is my word for 2013…life can sometimes weigh heavily on us…this year I’m going to let life be light, chill out, relax my self-imposed ‘making life less fun rules’ and enjoy it more! What ‘rules’ will you live by this year…I hope it goes without saying this is not about a rigid set of rules that makes life hard and unpleasant!

I cannot repeat this enough: It’s about FUN, enjoyment, loving life, loving yourself and enjoying your journey through this wonderful life experience. It’s not about putting your nose to the grindstone and misery-ing out. Shudder.

Step Three: ACTION!

This one couldn’t be simpler. Once you know what you want, start taking action. Set your intentions/goals/plans, then MOVE YOUR FEET! If you don’t know what to do, make your first action “Figure out what to do”. If you get stuck, make your first action “Figure out how to get past this problem”. We are wonderfully creative, intelligent beings, and with just a little focus, most obstacles can be overcome. If you get REALLY stuck, GET HELP! You don’t have to do it all yourself!

For each of your goals, take some time to brainstorm some actions you COULD take (you don’t have to do them all) – don’t edit yourself, write down ALL your ideas – even if they’re stupid, or terrifying, or impractical. Write them down anyway…and keep adding to the list whenever you get a new idea. Soon, you’ll have a big list of ideas that you can act upon whenever you’re working on your goals. And take action. Today and tomorrow and the next day and the next day and 200 days down the line. Which leads me to…

Step Four: Make Time For Your Dreams

One of the tools I am using to make this a great year for me is the Shining Life Biz and Life Workbooks by Leonie Dawson – a fun and colourful way to get ready for an incredible year! One of the ‘aha’s (and there have been many!) I’ve got from doing this guide book is that the reason some of my Big Dreams weren’t moving forward as fast as I wanted was because I wasn’t giving them time. Sounds obvious, right? Yup…but life just kept getting in the way of what I really wanted to be doing. So, I’ve made a few changes to the way I work, and am actively making space in my life to work on the things that are important to me – not just when I’ve ‘got time’, because that happens about once every 5 years…but all the time – making my best life more important than day to day things that really don’t matter! You need to do the same.

And of course, make sure you are following me on Facebook or Twitter for daily reminders to set yourself up for success and ideas to help you do it with a smile on your face and joy in your heart!

Let’s make this year a FABULOUS year!

Love

Donna.x

PS I would LOVE to hear from you – what are your Big Dreams this year? What habits and practices are you planning to put into place? How are you planning to get the best from yourself in 2013? What is getting in the way for you of living a life you LOVE?! (You never know, I might write an article about your particular obstacle for you!) Leave a comment below.