Carol Schulte

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New Year's Eve

I wish for you in 2016… (& 5 goal-setting tips!)

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I wish for you in 2016… (& five goal-setting tips!)

It’s the first day of the New Year. There is something almost magical about it.

It’s a blank page. A new chapter. A fresh start.

It’s an opportunity to create what you want for yourself and your life for the year ahead. A bit of a bold statement.

Although yes, every day is the first day of the rest of your life, there is a bit of a different feeling on January 1st.

Whatever you choose to do with the new year we’ve been given, here are my wishes for you in 2016…

May you dare to dream. May you dare to fly. May you…

get great ideas and act on them. have fun. laugh. meet new people. connect with people. share special times with special friends. play. explore. discover new places, discover new possibilities. challenge yourself. get outside of your comfort zone. try new things. do things you never thought possible. achieve things you never thought possible. celebrate. experience moments of peace, joy, and presence. learn new skills. read. dance. move your body. write thank you cards. receive thank you cards. acknowledge the special people that are in your life. enjoy the moments. share special moments. make lasting memories. say yes. say no. stop pleasing, stop comparing, stop caring too much about what others think. start trusting your gut, start listening to your intuition, and start fully loving yourself for all that you are and all that you’re not.

 

If you’re like me, you may want to get even more specific with what you’d like to create this year. I have a process I go through every year that I’m looking forward to getting into today.

So if you are an intention-creating, resolution-making, goal-setting type, here are a few tips to help set you up for success:

 

  1. Set goals that are meaningful to YOU.

    How do you want to feel? None of this ‘I should do this, I should do that…’ Unless your goals are important to YOU, you will not achieve them. Trust me!

 

  1. Write them down.

    Putting pen to paper not only helps you get clear, it also makes them more real. And placing them in a prominent place so as to have a constant reminder goes a long way!

 

  1. Share them with people.

    First of all, voicing out loud increases your commitment. And as we all need support, once you put it out there, those around you can help to keep you accountable. Plus, you’re telling the Universe at the same time. And the Universe has been known to listen :-).

 

  1. Make a plan. 

    Having big, hairy, audacious goals are great, and, you also have to break them down into smaller action steps. Otherwise it may become overwhelming, and you’ll be less likely to achieve them. Follow the S.M.A.R.T. (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, time-oriented) goal-setting system. Monitor your progress.

  1. Be gentle with yourself.

    One step at a time. Celebrate along the way. And don’t get discouraged if you don’t meet a target or you fall off the bandwagon. Just jump right back on! You’re human after all.

 

Happy New Year! And may 2016 bring all you desire and dream it to be… you deserve it! (Click to tweet it out!)

 

Carol - high res

P.S. If you are serious about setting resolutions and goals this year, and making them stick, join us at ‘Intentions, Resolutions, & Goals, OH MY!’ workshop on January 6th… a few limited spots are still available! 

Happy New Year! Are you ready for your best year EVER?!?

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HAPPY NEW YEAR!

However you celebrated (Champagne and sparklers? Watching the big ball drop? Hoppin’ on a dance floor? Singing Auld Lang Syne? Cozied up in bed getting an early night so as to start the New Year off with a bang?) I hope it was fab. 

Yes, I went out last night… and admittedly enjoyed a little sleep in this morning! And then – confession time – I felt guilty I hadn’t maximized the first day of the New Year (even though it was a holiday!) At this time of year I spend lots of time reflecting on last year, looking ahead to next year, and thinking about all I want to do and accomplish. Let’s talk intentions, resolutions, goals… shall we?!?  

As I normally start to do at this time of year, I think of all I want to do and be and change and improve and plan and create and accomplish in the year ahead. It’s an exciting time ~ a fresh start, a new beginning ~ full of promise. And yet, with that sometimes comes unnecessary pressure, stress, or high expectations.

Now I am certainly one that enjoys creating new year’s resolutions, setting intentions for the year, and setting some goals. Last year at this time I wrote about the fact on average, of those who make new year’s resolutions (which wasn’t actually a high number to begin with) continue to honour them for about two weeks. Two weeks?!? Perhaps we’re setting ones a tad too unrealistic, setting too many, or perhaps going about it the wrong way entirely.

Today I started a new ritual. I spent some time on my own, enjoying an americano misto, reflecting on the past year and looking to the year ahead. I wrote out all I was grateful for, and reached out to all the people I was grateful for. And then I wrote out all I wanted more of in 2015 – and then came up with some ideas of what I wanted to implement. Sometimes I get anxious thinking about all I want to do and accomplish… however today I felt good. This year, I have decided I only want to do what feels good. And not what I feel I should do.

Do you ever stop to ask yourself why you may be creating a new resolution or setting a new goal in the first place? Or what about it makes it important to you? Or how you want to feel afterwards?

Here are some questions to consider:

How do I want to feel at the start of 2015? How do I want to feel throughout the year? How do I want to feel at the end of the year? Do I want to set a personal theme for the year? Do I want to break an old habit, add a new one, or do something completely new or different this time around? Do I want to set resolutions, goals, or intentions? Do I want to set a strategy instead? Do I want to take it one month at a time? One week at a time? Or do I want to go in blindly but with an open and eager mindset ready to see how the year unfolds? 

Some people like the idea of resolutions, some don’t. Some love setting goals, some not so much. For me, at this time of year, I enjoy thinking about what I want to create for myself and my life for the upcoming year. However if that doesn’t feel right, it’s all good! No one says you have to.

Each one of us is different and unique (thank goodness!). And so what may work for one person may not work for everyone. So if you’re not feeling the resolutions this year, don’t write any! It won’t make you any less ready or eligible for an amazing kick-ass year. Intentions, resolutions, and goals, oh my! I may make them, but you don’t have to. It’s gotta be right for YOU. (Click to tweet it out!)

Now if you DO want to think about all you want for the year ahead, and are serious about putting into action all your big heart desires (and so deserves) for this year, I cordially invite you to my ‘Intentions, Resolutions, and Goals, Oh My!’ workshop! (shameless plug I know!)

Learn the system I created last year to manifest what I wanted this year. It takes place next Thursday, Jan. 8th. It’ll be an intimate event, and there are only a few seats left. So grab your ticket today!

Cheers to a FAB year ahead… whatever that looks like to YOU. Wishing you all the health and happiness and peace and prosperity and love and laughter and sunshine and sparkles that you so desire and deserve.

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