Friday, January 11, 2019

What Do I Really Want This Year?


Last month I guided you through an exercise that brought closure to 2018. If you haven't done it yet, I encourage you to do it now (click here) before you start preparing for 2019. Without reflection, your future will be more difficult to bring into focus.

Next, imagine it is one year from today. You have paused to reflect on the past 365 days and to celebrate what an amazing year it has been. Consider the following questions:

If this were my best year yet, how would it look?
What would have happened?
What would I have achieved?

Now, write a letter to yourself describing the highlights of 2019 AS IF they have already happened. Write in the present tense. For example, this is how I started my letter: "Wow! What a year it has been. I've never felt more engaged, more enlivened, more richly satisfied than how I feel now." Then I described why I felt this way.

As I was writing, and obviously enjoying the experience, my husband asked, "What are you working on?" I explained it was a letter to myself, dated one year from today that reveals everything I want for 2019. He rolled his eyes. I can guess what that means. Patrice is doing her dreaming thing again. Forewarning: Even the people who love you most might think your dreaming is, well, dreaming. Don't let this discourage you. This is your one true life, so start writing!

Once you’ve written your letter, read it over and answer the following questions:

To accomplish this dream, what actions will I take?
What mindset will I embrace?
What is this vision calling me to become?”

Now that you have a script for 2019, take action to transform your dreams to reality. Make this your best year yet! 

NOTE: You might believe that just thinking about what you want for the year is as effective as writing it down. It's not. Research reveals writing down your goals and aspirations increases the chance of them coming to fruition. Telling a few people about your goals will further increase the likelihood of achieving them. So write and report!

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