A New Planning Perspective for 2018

We’re on the verge of a brand new year. These last few days of December are always full of anticipation, brainstorming resolutions, and preparing to get back to the hustle and bustle of normal life.

Let’s pause for a moment before diving into the next chapter.

Looking back on 2017, have you acknowledged yourself this year for all the ways in which you’ve grown, for everything you’ve produced, and for all the ways you’ve been more loving and compassionate with yourself?

In my experience as a coach, we are so likely to hone in on what’s “wrong” or what’s missing in our lives that we often forget to take time out to recognize and celebrate how far we’ve come and all that we are and have created.

So, before you jump into the “new year, new you” media blitz that is about to clog all your social media feeds, take a moment to reflect on what you’ve actually achieved this year. Instead of over analyzing anything and everything that could have gone better or that you could have done differently, have some compassion for yourself, for your journey, and for any missteps along the way.

When it comes to the missteps, it’s important to realize that we tend to think of them as mistakes—something that we did wrong or “screwed up.”

Well, that’s one way of looking at it.

However, when we look at these same experiences from a place of empowerment, compassion, and possibility, we can draw entirely different conclusions from our past (in service of our future).

Those perceived failures aren’t “screw ups.” Most often, they are our greatest lessons.

So, looking at the past year from this new angle….

…What is there for you to celebrate?
…What lessons are there for you to learn?
…How can you be more compassionate with yourself each step of the way?

Before even taking a look at what you want to create in the next year, take a look at who you want to be. How will you treat yourself? How will you be more loving and tender with yourself?

Consider how you could practice treating yourself from this compassionate place, and then take a look at what you want to achieve and where you want to go in the coming year. What could you create by coming from this place of being fully loved, nurtured, and resourced?

Dear reader, I invite you to get clear about your intention for 2018 and then choose a stand—a word—for your new year that will remind you of that intention when you inevitably forget about it. Before you choose your word, presence yourself to how you want to treat yourself and who you want to be in the next year.

My word for 2018 is “play.”

For me, when I’m being truly nurturing and kind to myself, I allow myself more freedom and space to play and indulge in each moment—the delights of winter, of nature, of the simple wonder of snow storms, etc. For example, on Christmas Day, I took my partner and his cousins on an afternoon walk with the weather in the single digits here in Michigan. Our afternoon ended in snow angels and a snowball fight full of silliness and fun. That’s the perfect semblance of play that I’m talking about and that I want to create as the core of my 2018.

When I play, I’m much more present to possibility and what matters to me, and as a result I show up much more powerfully for my clients and my relationships.

So, what’s your word, and what will it manifest in your new year?

To being fully loved and nurtured,