Cheers to the New Year

I don't know about the rest of you but 2018 was a hell of a year! Good, bad, pretty, ugly, it was all of the above. Most of all for me it was a year of self-reflection. I can't remember a time when I looked so hard at my life or at myself. Not everything I saw in the mirror was good but it served as a wake up call.

No matter how many times you hear the phrases, "life is short, live everyday as if it were your last" it never sinks in fully. Years ago my mom said to me of a past relationship that "I know he isnt the man for you. As much as I think he is wonderful person, you two are just not right for eachother. You may not see it now and I can keep saying it but YOU won't see it until YOU are ready to." This is true, sometimes what is obvious to everyone else is just not obvious to you at that moment. You have to be open and the timing needs to be on our own terms. This past year I finally feel many of those familiar phrases speaking to me. As though this is the right time, I am ready.

Life IS short.

I want to live my life with purpose, we all should. The journey ahead, I know will not always be easy, but that is the point too. Nothing is ever so simple. Life requires effort. If you want something or want your life to be a certain way, then put in that effort. For too long I've been sitting around expecting things to just happen or letting perceived obstacles stop me. No one is stopping you but yourself. 2018 was the beginning stages of the change of mindset for me, the new year will be me putting in the real work to change the things I want to change in my life.

How are you going to show up in the new year?

Like I said I've started the mindset shift. Now that I think about it the real work has started as well. I've taken what for me is a scary plunge and decided to invest in a financial advisor/coach. After just two meetings with her I am feeling so much more at ease with my where my financial health is going. I mention this to let you know that sometimes the first best step you can take it accepting that sometimes we need help and that is OK. For the longest time I kept telling myself I could get my spending under control and pay off debt on my own. This is true for many but there are some of us who need help and there is nothing wrong with that. I have come to that realization that I need someone to hold me accountable, someone to lean on when I fall off the wagon so to speak. Therefore, yes spending money on an coach may seem counterproductive to some but again myself as a financial advisor just wasn't doing the job. I fired myself! Lol. After my last meeting with my financial coach, I could already see that even with paying for a coach, I still had plenty funds left over. Clearly I was spending that money on needless things that are not helping me get closer to my goals. So decidedly putting that money towards my goals instead is much more sensible.

Good financial health is just one of my goals. Being financially healthy will open doors for more exploration and self-development. That is why for me it was the best place to start. For you it may be something else but the point is to START. You don't necessarily need to wait for a new year. We can start living more purposefully and taking action on our goals any time of the year. I invite you to start now and ask for help if you need it. I refuse to made to feel ashamed or guilty for asking for help. The same goes for you!

Enough about what I want to achieve in the next year and further. Let's also take a moment to look back at what was achieved this past year. We have to celebrate and pat ourselves on the back for even for the smallest of wins. Some of the ones I'm proud of are re-launching this blog, starting yoga, stepping out of my safe zone when I decided to travel to a women's retreat, and hiring a financial coach. Even with the lows of the past year you can see there were still highs and it is important to toast to those. This blog is for the self-development & enlightenment part of my overall life's journey but I also am going to keep a personal journal/workbook. If you need a little help or inspiration I highly recommend you visit www.lavendaire.com. Aileen, the content creator of the Lavendaire Lifestyle YouTube channel and podcast has helped keep in a positive mindset. She recently launched her Artist of Life workbook and a daily planner. I couldn't wait to purchase them. They should be arriving in the mail soon. I look forward to keeping a more detailed and personal track of my progress. As always I invite you to do the same. Cheers to the new year and all that it brings but remember you can start anything ANYTIME.

Comment below & tell me what you're goals are? If you like this post & think it will resonate with someone you know please share it.

Wishing you all the best this year & every year after!

As always, if you're reading this, thank you.

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