As we begin the year, what do you need? Do you have a New Year tradition such as a word for the year? I typically choose a word to represent the year ahead. Usually the word is an action, something I intend to do in my business and personal life. This year I’ve taken a different approach to my word for the year, based on the question ‘what do I need right now?’.
Imagine
My word for this year is Imagine. In this post I share the journaling tip/writing prompt that helped me to define my word based on what I need right now.
Journaling prompt
The journaling prompt is called ‘These things I know – and – What do I need right now?’. It is my second most popular writing prompt, after the wildly dreaming ‘What if’ exercise. (You can read more about this here and in my books.) I find this exercise very helpful when I am feeling overwhelmed and don’t know what my next steps should be.
I recognized that I needed to approach this new year somewhat differently. I needed to acknowledge the stress of the pandemic and how it has affected me. Despite having a very successful year in my business and that my family is all well, the underlying stress and having to constantly think and change direction last year has left me feeling a bit rough around the edges. This is step 1 of this exercise – define the problem.
Once the problem is defined, I made a list of ‘These things I know’ (step 2). This is usually a list of what is working at the moment, what strengths I have to bring to this situation. The main point I wrote for this step was I have tools at my disposal that help me to stay well. These are yoga, running and my art (rughooking, spinning and writing).
I then wrote my answers to the question ‘What do I need right now?’ (step 3). This helped me to focus on the immediate next steps, stop spinning and find a way to move forward one step (or loop) at a time. My answer to this question was I need to go into this new year with more ease.
Once I answered the question ‘What do I need right now?’ I was able to clearly define a plan for moving ahead. I’ve decided to structure my mornings and my business to allow time for running, yoga and journal writing. I’m planning to structure my week to carve out one day per week minimum to focus on my art (this is in addition to my evenings hooking/spinning/knitting in front of the fire).
Why am I doing this?
Two reasons. First, after a prolonged period of stress (such as the pandemic) I need to make time to do something every day that feeds my soul and keeps me well. Secondly, my experience is that when I spend regular time in my happy place(s) the rest of my life flourishes. I think this is due to a phenomena called Centre of Attraction, which says what we choose to focus on is what we attract into our lives. I want to spend time imagining and dreaming about a business fuelled by joy. For me the best way to do this is when I am immersed in running, yoga and my creative practices.
How can I help?
If you are interested in this and want to create art that transforms and creates a positive centre of attraction, there are still spaces left in my workshop Transforming Life’s Challenges into Positive Art on February 3.
If you are an employer or team leader searching for fresh, innovative ways to connect and support your team members I can design a virtual session to help with stress, anxiety and feeling disconnected. Clients tell me their employees feel more engaged and supported after working with me. All sessions fully customizable. Let’s have a conversation!
