So Google tells me there’s only 42 days until the end of 2015!
Rather than feeling freaked out, I’m actually pretty excited and pumped for these final weeks of the year!
If you desperately wish to feel the same, don’t worry I have you covered!
I’ve decided to put a little action plan together so I avoid feeling overwhelmed and I actually make the most of the final weeks of this year.
Take a read of my 7 Step Formula To End The Year on a High and dig in!
Now I know the idea of taking a break at this time of the year seems crazy, but trust me, it’s not.
Last week I wrote about why it’s so important to give yourself permission to take a break (you can read more here).
Taking purposeful time out, especially during the festive season helps you to clear your mind, minimise overwhelm and re-focus on your goals.
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Take at least one hour in the next week where you take time out just for you.
Create a supportive and inspiring space where there are no distractions and you feel calm and relaxed.
Maybe light a candle, play some cool tunes, have a glass of wine….(oh that sounds romantic!) and take this time to get clear and journal about want to achieve in the next 40 odd days.
Now this is a biggie. If you only do one thing from this formula, do this!
I’m a huge advocate of feeling based intentions.
What does this mean?
It means you set an intention around how you want to feel.
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So, once you’ve taken a well-earned break and re-focused on your goals I want you to set an intention around how you want to FEEL for the rest of the year.
For example, you may want to feel relaxed and grounded, or energised and connected during this time.
Personally I want to be mindful during the festive season and really tap into my personal joy. I want to feel JOYFUL!
The significant benefit of setting an intention around how you want to feel is that it helps with your decision-making around EVERYTHING!
If saying ‘Yes’ to ten different Christmas parties doesn’t help you to feel relaxed and grounded, just say ‘No thanks’ and honour how you want to feel.
Make sense?
When you reflect back on your goals or New Year’s resolutions it’s very easy to fall into the trap of getting down on yourself for all the things you HAVEN’T achieved.
Just remember, that not achieving your goals doesn’t make you a failure, it means you’re human.
I believe if you’ve reached November and you haven’t made a great deal of headway on a particular goal, it’s not that important of a goal to you!
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Be self-compassionate, let your non-important goals go and keep moving!
After realising you haven’t achieved some of your goals, it’s quite normal to go into overdrive and think you need to be super human and smash through a number of things before the year ends.
But I want you to be real.
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Take time to prioritise the few things that you REALLY want to achieve before the end of the year.
Also make sure these goals are realistic and you can actually achieve them in the timeframe.
I want you to go deeper and think about what would light you up on New Year’s Eve, knowing that you had ‘ticked the box’ and achieved what you had set out to do.
For me, my biggest goal is to have the final draft of my new e-Book complete!
I’ll admit that initially when writing this post I actually forgot this step!
I think it’s because I’m so action oriented and always planning things, that it’s just second nature!
But as I’m sure you know, there is no point setting some kick-arse goals and then having no action plan!
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Now that you have your goal/s and your feeling-based intention, it’s time to look at your next steps.
I want you to list down all of the mini-actions or steps you need to take each day/week to ensure you achieve your goal.
For me, I’ve broken down my e-Book into different chapters and I’ve given myself a certain number of days to complete each chapter so I have milestones along the way.
It’s no secret that the run up to Christmas and New Year can be frantic. Time slips through your fingers as you’re busily wrapping things up at work, hitting the shops buying gifts, attending countless Christmas parties, organising your travel arrangements etc etc.
When life gets hectic, the first thing to slip off your radar is self-care.
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In order to make the most of the final weeks of this year and to really live out your feeling-based intentions, you must prioritise self-care.
This means really listening to your mind and body and giving yourself what you need.
If you need an afternoon nap, take one. If you feel your skin could do with a facial, go have one. If you meditate every day, KEEP doing it!
For me I’m going to be focusing on moving my body through yoga and eating as clean as possible (to make up for all the Christmas cheer I will joyfully be indulging in!).
Sometimes working towards your goals can be a hard slog, particularly when you’re short on time and you have a number of distractions (Hello Christmas in 30 odd days!).
This is why it’s helpful to have a support network or your own personal cheerleader to keep you motivated and accountable.
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Share your goals with a loved one or friend and let them know what you’re working towards.
Just sharing your goals with others helps you stay accountable and enforces the motto ‘Action Not Words.’
Or maybe ask your best friend, husband, mum etc to be your accountability buddy and you can each share your goals and cheer each other on.
Here’s a little bonus tip for you!
Celebrating your successes, big and small, is one of the most important yet overlooked opportunities to truly honour and reward yourself.
How often do you end your day, week, month or even year and celebrate all that you have achieved?
Also, taking time out to reflect on your achievements and to celebrate is a great way to pause and hit the ‘off switch’ for a bit.
I read somewhere that ‘continually working without celebrating your achievements is like going on a long road trip and never stopping for petrol.’
You need to stop and fill yourself up with petrol….or Veuve Clicquot… as that’s my fuel of choice!
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Here’s your chance to celebrate you!
How would you love to celebrate successfully achieving your goal/s at the end of the year?
What could you do to truly honour your hard work, discipline, dedication and all of those other awesome traits you have applied to your life?
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I hope my 7 Step Formula really helps to you amplify the final weeks of 2015 and you end the year on a high, just as you deserve!
Share with me in the comments section below how you want to FEEL during the final weeks of 2015 and what you would love to achieve!
I’ll cheer you on!
Make sure you’re on my ‘Great Mail’ list because as of next week I’m starting my Month of Christmas Gifting…..and I have some really awesome gifts to giveaway which are exclusive to my newsletter subscribers!
Just sign up below this post!
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Also, if you’re keen to make 2016 your best year yet, I have a very special offer for 5 lucky clients!
You can coach with me for less than half price!
Offer ends December 31st and I have limited spaces available – so if you’re interested in leaping outside your comfort zone and turning your life from ordinary to extraordinary, send me an email and we can have a 30 minute skype chat, to see if coaching is for you!
Love,
