Jump Start Your 2023

My 2023 has started out a bit slow.  As a life coach I’m not always perfect. I am running two businesses currently and one of those businesses (Will & Ward Alterations Studio) is always slow this time of year.  Because of that I have had both the urge to slow things down and have been searching for motivation to push forward on some of the goals and dreams.

One thing that has been accomplished is to declutter my home.  My alterations business has taken over our second bedroom which really reduces the storage space in our home.  Something you may not know about me is I can be kind of a document hoarder.  I have kept documents, paper, keepsakes, and cards longer than I should.  This month has given me the chance to say goodbye to bank statements from 2006, pay stubs from 2008, and all kind of other papers that have no meaning anymore. 

My stash also included content outlines for hundreds of livestreams I did years ago.  Many of you know me from my Periscope days when I filmed up to four livestreams a day.  My focus, then was my health and wellness coaching business.  I specifically focused on how mental health (attitude, energy, perspective) is closely linked to physical wellbeing.

One online stuck out to me.  This outline described an exercise I have decided to use this month.  I am hopeful it will inspire some action and help me move closer to some of my 2023 goals.  I have a feeling it might be helpful to you.  You might be in a similar place starting your 2023. So here it is.

Inspiration can come from plenty of places. 

Desire to change

Traumatic event  

Desire to solve a problem

The most powerful kinds of inspiration come from tapping into things, and experiences that make you feel good.  Too often we are obsessed with a quick fix.  This exercise is not the solution to our problems.  However, this exercise helps people focus.  It can help people to manifest the inspiration to get started.  It will move you closer to taking actions on your dreams, hopes, and goals.  The better we know ourselves and what brings us joy the better we can incorporate these activities into our everyday life.  The more time we spend in our joy the easier it is to move towards everything we want out of life.  It helps with the hard times, and it can help us when we are stuck in a rut, or when we are confused about what steps to take next.

When you have some time (20-30 minutes).  Sit down with a notebook or open a fresh document on your computer. 

1. Think about the present, what things make you feel good right now? This can be anything, the seasons, a piece of clothing, an activity, a friendship, or relationship.

Here is an example of mine:

• Wet snow sticking to all the branches of the trees
• Walking in my neighborhood
• Warm sweatpants
• Perfecting my AM coffee recipe
• Motivating others
• Being recognized
• Sparkles
• Bomber jackets
• Pup snuggles
• When my husband calls me his valentine
• Learning from other people through podcasts, TIKTOCK, or YouTube

• Now, think back to your childhood, what things made you feel good/happy then?

Here is an example of mine:

• Playing sports and being good at them
• Summer (especially July)
• Writing poems
• Singing on our microphone in our basement
• Playing on our computer (games, and later chatting on AIM, yes that dates me)
• Playing in my mom’s classroom with all the beakers, droppers, and science equipment
• High school I really loved having deep conversations with friends

• Take those lists and think about how they are linked.  What conclusions do you come to about yourself?  Do these lists show a trend about how you want to live your life?  Can you find a trend in this list on how?

Here is what I see when I look at my lists:

• I am inspired by quite time when I have time to reflect
• I have always been looking for deeper meaning in life
• I have a desire to be useful, important, and successful.
• Comfort is important to me
• Learning new things is exciting

• After I have the list of trends.  Think about how you are spending your time.  Think about your job.  Does your job, does your life allow you the time to do the things that you identified in the trends?  Maybe it does, maybe it could.  Identify one or two ways you can spend more time doing something that plays in to each the trends you identified about yourself and your happiness.

For example: One of the trends I found is that I find learning new things exciting.  In my work at Will & Ward Alterations Studio I enjoy watching other tailors and learning new techniques.  So, for this year I am going to schedule out time in my day to watch 10 minutes of an altering tutorial and find one new altering podcast that I can listen to while I work. 

Many of my previous coaching clients felt overwhelmed when started working with me.  They thought they needed to overhaul their life to be happy.  But what I have learned over time working with clients is that the best way to change is to find little consistent changes or mindset shifts that over time really transform your life, your outlook, and your future.  Sometimes it takes investing a little love and time into yourself, to find the energy to move forward, so you can have the freedom you desire to create your own beautiful life.