Happy New Year!

I hoped you enjoyed your holidays and feel excited to begin 2016!

Last week I was taking care of some holiday stuff and just had an urge to clear out some old books, clothes and papers. It felt so natural but very surprising as I had so many other things I felt pressed to do, but what I noticed is that I had changed internally I was ready to release more physical stuff so I can get more focused for this year.

That is my word for 2016 – FOCUS.  I’ve learned this from my friend Crista who chooses one word as her theme each year.  This year the word FOCUS was so strong for me and I could see how this was changing my language around clutter. Having clutter in our space means we are unfocused in who we are, what we want and how we want to be and act in our daily lives.  

Being focused gets you where you want to go and achieve your goals with ease. Clutter represents the false beliefs we tell ourselves of why we can’t do or have the life we want.

The reason why I like the word FOCUS is the energy it communicates is more positive and uplifting than the low level energy of the word clutter.

The reason I want to clarify this now is that if you are trying to make a change in your life but find you are in a state of low energy, it is very challenging to make that change.  Words have energy and they can move us toward a more positive, active energy or keep us stuck in a low state of energy and activity. 

So instead of being upset with where you are in your life, ask yourself what do I want and how can I get myself focused to get there.

Let’s say you want to eat healthy in 2016. Saying the words “I’m going to lose 20lbs this year” probably makes you feel like laughing as you know it’s not going to happen. But if you change it to I’m going to figure out how I can feel good about what I’m eating, so I’m creating a new relationship with food then you are activated to make more concrete, practical changes and with a good attitude!

Once you make that goal then you can move forward with practical steps like, “over the next two weeks, I’m going to eliminate all the junk food in the house and make one recipe of a healthy dessert. Next week, I’m going to eat two healthy meals a week. The following week, I’m going to create a Pinterest board with healthy recipes and commit to one new healthy recipe week…..” the list can go on.

With a specific plan you can assess your goals each week and determine what worked and what didn’t so you can make changes to your future goals.  By setting small weekly goals, you make it easier to focus on the little steps that create the bigger goal!

I also suggest to scheduling these mini goals into your calendar or planner. I have my planner on my kitchen table to review each morning and I read everything I need to do that day outloud, including errands, calls, shopping, cleaning.  By saying it out loud I affirm myself that it’s happening.

I add lines:

Everything is working out for me.

I’m going to have positive interactions with everyone today.

You can create whatever statements that fit for you…

I’m going to enjoy all my meals today.

I’m going to make good food choices all day.

I’m going to see the good in everyone I chat with today.

It’s the little goals, the little achievements that matter everyday.

So stay focused in the present day and do the best you can from where you are.

It may be a new year, but every day is a new beginning.

So now, share with me what you are going to focus on this week! Leave your comments below!

xo,

Christine Bove