Saying Goodbye to One Year and Hello to the Next

This is the time of year that many of us reflect on the year ending and make plans for the new year. And for some, regrets creep into thoughts of what could have been.

Reflecting on the lessons learned is important. I often use the analogy of the Gold Miner and the Gold Nuggets. Image you are the gold miner; each day you carry your pan to the river's edge and scoop, swirl, and watch the mud and silt come to the top. What you want are the heavier pieces on the bottom of the pan...the gold nuggets. The gold miner keeps the gold nuggets and releases everything else...letting go of what doesn't serve him.

This is true in life. At the end of the day, reflect on everything that happened and look for the lessons, gifts, and blessings; these are the gold nuggets. 

With the end of year, take some time to reflect over the past year and identify your gold nuggets. Beware, of fool's gold...not all nuggets are gold! 

What gold nuggets will you be carrying into 2020? 

Do you make New Year's Resolutions?

For some, New Year's is a great time for motivation and making plans to achieve certain goals; however, did you know that more than 80% of people who make goals give up on them by mid-February?

That doesn't have to be you! Here are a few tips to keep you out of the 80%:

Make a commitment to yourself.

Schedule time to work towards your goals. One way is to make a solid commitment and set up a system. It can be as simple as making it a priority to work on your goal first thing in the morning. As Brian Tracey writes "Eat that Frog" which means do the thing you would most procrastinate on but would bring you the most results.

Create a reward system.

There should be milestones in the goals that you want to make progress on, and you should celebrate them. Create a list of rewards for each milestone; they don't have to be huge or expensive, but allow them to inspire you to keep on going so that you achieve the next level.

Find an accountability partner.

It's great to work towards a goal with a partner because you can motivate each other when things get tough. You can also have great results by reporting to someone and announcing your intentions and accomplishments. Having to report to your accountability partner can motivate you to stay on track.

With the end of the year, take some time to reflect...become the gold miner of your life and look for the gold nuggets that will help you move on and forward with your journey.

Here's to wishing you a happy and safe NEW YEAR!

Until next time...

Cheers!

Lisa 

P.S. One of my goals for 2020 is to contribute to the blog Monday through Friday...I've decided to take weekends off. This is just one example of how I am planning to model my Intentional Life.