7 DAYS TO YOUR BEST YEAR YET! Day 3

Welcome back to the Begin Fresh : 7 Days to Your Best Year Yet! :: Day 3 

Reflection is the secret to moving forward + knowing how to turn your dreams into plans. If you’re just joining us, you can start Day 1 here.

You’re not behind, because …

Today is the best day to make a change for the better!

Yesterday you continued your reflection by discovering what you can change in the year ahead. By acknowledging what didn’t work so well you’re less likely to repeat those results this year. My sister often quotes to me the old saying, “If you always do what you’ve always done, then you’ll always get what you always got”. So this is your year to try new things!

Here are my answers to yesterdays prompts. To save space + respect your time I’ve shortened some of my answers :

What outstanding goals or unfinished projects do you have?

Organising our digital life is in progress. It’s a big project and one that will continue through the first few moths of this year as we finish converting our paperwork to digital files, sorting through photos and decluttering old files we no longer need.

The change in business name and focus is an ongoing process. It’s energising to see the different pieces of life coming together this way. I have a few books and trainings I will continue with this year.

Why do you think you didn’t achieve them? 

These projects needed more time that I could give last year. Slow and steady wins the race. Rolling over a project is not a problem if I’m making progress and it continues to be important in creating the kind of life we want to live as a family + what I need for business.

How did you hold yourself back?

By not making decisions quick enough and allowing the fear of letting others down clouded the decisions I needed to make. On the other hand I know I’m exactly where I need to be. There’s more to our journey than achieving our goals. Who we become on the way to where we’re going is more important than the goals we achieve.

What needs to change moving forward?

The relentless pursuit of less so that I can stay focused on what’s meaningful. As a creative it’s so easy to get a new and exciting idea that steals my focus and keeps me from achieving my goals. Creating a vision board and completing my action plans will help me remain focused and consistently making progress towards my goals.

Where was money wasted?

We don’t generally have much waste these days, thankfully. So I can’t think of anything that stands out as a waste.

Reading the book “The More of Less” last year helped me see new meaning + value in the things we own and the space in our home. This new perspective is also shaping our purchasing decisions. Instead of quickly going out and begin something we’re finding other solutions that hep us achieve the same goal.

Where was time wasted?

Taking on too many projects at one time. I’m still learning to limit myself. I’m better than I was at the start of 2017 and look forward to improving even more by the end of the year.

Another place I wasted time was in my email inbox. A few months into 2017 I went on a ruthless unsubscribing campaign and drastically reduced the number of emails I receive. I’ll be doing it again this year too.

I’m using the Classic Planner for Begin Fresh with a splash of paint, washi tape and word stickers.

How can you better manage your energy? 

Daily exercise, gratitude journalling, bible reading, family time and early bed times are my keys to maintaining great energy levels. Protecting our one day off a week to recharge and relax together.

Are there things you should let go of?

Disbelief and self doubt are two things that have no place in the year ahead. There are people to help and dreams to bring to life. And neither of these beliefs serve me well or help make those things happen.

What word would best describe your past year?

Increase was my word for 2017. And while most of the year actually felt like I was decreasing I now see that there was work for me to do to get ready for increase. At the start of the year I thought I would be doing more for this increase to happen. Then as the months started to roll by I was actually reducing what I was doing. It seemed counter intuitive to “my plan”. John 3:30 was a great reminder about the need for me to decrease while He, God, increases in my life. I had a few more months of decrease ahead of me until finally I came to the decision to pivot and change my business name to go in the direction I have longed to go for some time. Making this decision and taking action opened up new possibilities.

As I look back I see that my dreams needed me to change so they had a chance of coming to life. So while much of the action I took in 2017 looked like I was going backwards, I see that it was all preparation for me to move forward. The path we take to achieve our goals often turns out to be very different from what we expect. I’m thankful for staying the course last year, pushing through the challenges so that the dreams I have can come to life.

Day 3 :: Focus | Roles review

Today you’ll finish your reflection by doing a review on the roles of responsibility + areas of focus in your life.

I have 8 categories that I use to help me create a balanced life. We’re spirit, soul + body and dividing life into these different areas of focus makes creating a balanced life you enjoy living so much easier.

I’ll share my answers tomorrow along with the next exercise that takes a looks into the future as you discover your why, your motivation, the fuel you’ll need to overcome the fears, doubts and uncertainty that’s ahead as you reach for your goals in 2018.

The planner worksheets for today’s exercise can be found in my 2018 planners and the journalling prompts for today’s reflection is on pages 18 of the FUSElife Planner Playbook.

Today’s exercise

You’re welcome to share these categories with me, or feel free to make your own list.

Faith :: beliefs in God, others and ourselves
Family :: spouse and children, yes fur babies count
Home :: place you live from, surroundings
Health :: mental and physical inc. habits, routines and unconscious choices of who we are
Wealth :: finances now and future
Social :: rest and relax, enjoy life inc. extended family, friends, colleagues
Earn :: what you do to make a difference in the world through paid work
Learn :: personal and business development, study, home schooling