At the beginning of the year, I enjoy looking back at the highlights of the Year that Was.
You see, over the past several years, I have developed a game plan that helps me avoid the Year that Could have Been. I get to revisit all the good things that happened (like my beautiful new grandbaby!), acknowledge the steps I took to improve various aspects of my life, and overall, feel a sense of accomplishment for the 365 days of progress.
How do I create a year of action and anticipation?
I break down my New Year plan into the major areas of my life: health, finances, social life, spiritual well-being, career and of course, my love life! Within these broad categories, I write down my wish list of specific things that I will work towards to make my life more joyful. Yes, visualization is a very important part of the process. If you can’t imagine it, how will you know when you’ve received it?
Some items are serious, such as taking care of your health and your financial obligations. That’s important too, as the upshot of being in good health and debt-free is that you can focus on all the other fun things on your wish list – such as snagging that promotion, taking a tropical vacation, planning a Christmas trip to be with family, volunteering with like-minded people.
Write it down
For items on my list that are intangibles, I write down a very specific description that allows me to visualize the outcome. But be careful of what you wish for! One year, I wrote this in my love section, about the man I was seeking: Friendly, Accepting, Sexy, Trustworthy, Kind, Intelligent, Decent. Which spelled FAST KID! Turned out, the man I met that year was all of these things – but he was also immature and still lived with his parents!
My lists are not static. I like to read them often, and tweak them. One time I wrote that I wished for an office that was spacious with good light. Well, I ended up with a large office with good overhead light – and no windows! So that needed to be tweaked.
I’m a big believer in the reverse ABCs – Conceive, Believe, Achieve. The Believing part is the hardest to learn how to do, especially if you’re surrounded by nay-sayers, pessimists, “realists” and Yes-But doubters. (I heard this interesting observation: An optimist looks for a solution for every problem, while a pessimist looks for a problem in every solution…).
Finally…Believe
Here’s an easy way to learn how to Believe. Think of your car, the one that you jump in and drive around in, hundreds of times a year. How many times do you open up the hood, check the oil, kick the tires, before you switch it on? Only a few times a year, when you have to take your car for a service. The rest of the time, you BELIEVE that it will get you to where you’re going. You never give it a second thought! And you do – you get where you’re going by BELIEVING and trusting in that car.
Use the same trusting energy to get what you want in life, for the 2016 year that is all that you wish, dream and believe it to be.
Love, health, wealth and happiness – always!
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About the Author
Marilyn Deen is a PR/marketing communications professional based in Fort Lauderdale, FL. She has created and managed effective campaigns for tourism, disaster response and youth development for corporations and community benefit organizations in the US and internationally. She currently owns MARKUS Writing, you can follow her on Facebook and Twitter.
