NEW YEAR/NEW YOU

Christmas is over and already I'm thinking about my "New Year's Resolutions", though I prefer to think of them as "My desires for the New Year". I  love having new beginnings, fresh starts, inspiring ideas,  creative goals, and new desires  for the new year ahead ( OK sometimes OLD ideas but I keep trying! ).  I  like to find inspiring, creative, and lovely journals or notebooks in which  to write my new desires and goals as if I'm writing a book in which I will create a wonderful plan of what I want to be, do, and have in 2012 to make it THE BEST YEAR EVER! At least in those things that depend on ME! I DO realize that I am not in control of everything! ; ) For those things I CAN'T control, I ask for serenity.

The time between Christmas and New Year's is the best time for this creative planning so you're ready to begin when the new year rolls around. But you can start this new routine/habit/attitude ANYTIME so if you get a late start don't let that stop you! The important thing is that you BEGIN to assess where you ARE in life and where you'd LIKE TO BE so you can begin to make some changes. There's an old saying that if you DO what you always DID, you'll GET what you always GOT.  And even if you're happy with your current situation in life, you can always be a BETTER PERSON. No one's perfect so there's always room for improvement!

Journal with sweet bird for our birding friends...find here

Letter Writer shabby book found here

So where do you begin? I've found some fun journals on Etsy that may inspire you. They are upcycled vintage books that are lined for writing down your goals, desires, thoughts of what you'd like to do, be, and have in the year ahead. Check these out...

Find this lovely floral journal here

 

 

 

 

Collage/altered art journal...find here

 

 

 

Whimsical journal that also includes photos of nursery rhymes. Find it here

After you find something in which to write down all your ideas you are ready to begin. Start by writing out a description of the KIND OF PERSON you'd like to BE, the TRAITS you'd like to possess, how you would like to SPEND YOUR TIME here on planet earth, what you would like to HAVE, being as specific as possible. Write this in the present tense as if it is happening right now.

From this description, go through and make a LIST of the items you mentioned. This list is from which you choose what goals/desires you wish to seek after in the year ahead. You may not wish to work on ALL of them but we'll talk about that later. I'll go into more detail in the next few posts.

If you're one of the people who does not like to set goals, that's OK too. I can still show you how to have MORE of what you want in the year ahead so stay tuned. But DO find a creative book, journal, or notebook in which you can write down  your inspirations and thoughts.