New Year Prep: Simplifying After The Holidays

Image courtesy of gcquinn

I’m very excited about the New Year!  2009 should be a wonderful year to all who embrace their potential and remain flexible.  Even in light of the economic ‘crisis’ I’m confident in the immense opportunities that await us in the coming months.  But to be fully prepared and ‘running on all cylinders’ we need to get ourselves in order and our surroundings in check.  So read on while we tackle this great project as we prepare to BREAK INTO the next 365, opportunities abounding!

OK, so Christmas is over and we’re days away from fireworks.  We may have eaten a few too many cookies, let go of our normal exercise routine and swiped that credit card one too many times.  Now we’re looking to the 1st as an opportunity for positive change and a re-centering of our goals and aspirations.  But before we start looking forward, we need to take a good look around us. Breaking into a sprint without warming up is never a good idea. And if we try to jump into the positive changes we seek without ridding ourselves of our current burdens, we can only hope for a quick burst, followed by burn out.  We need to clean up our lives, shake loose those holiday distractions and prepare for the journey ahead.

The 365 Cycle

Our yearly cycle of progress and distraction is much like that of a single day.  We wake up with the sun beaming through our bedroom window.  Refreshed from the forgotten fragrance of yesterday, we rise from our beds, ready to take on the world.  The first few hours of this day is filled with efficiency and clarity of thought.  Accomplishment becomes a commonality as nothing can hold us back from those goals we set our sights on.

But as the day ensues, the first layer of life’s burdens starts taking it’s toll and weighing down our enthusiasm.  Unexpected circumstances begin the unraveling of our valiant vision of success.  Distraction takes hold as we seek solace from the pains that have blindsided us.  By dinner time, we’re just going through the motions and see the final quarter of the day as a time to finish what we’re doing and be done with it.  Our enthusiasm is shot, along with many of our dreams.

As we come ever closer to the time when night meets day, our hopes for progress in the present are replaced with visions of tomorrows potential.  As we rest our heads on our pillows and begin the ‘shutdown’ process, our dreams perk up and our excitement bubbles back to the surface.  Tomorrow is a new day!

Preparing for the Sunlight

So now it’s tomorrow.  A new sunrise births the beckoning of a better day.  You go to step out of bed and embrace the opportunity that’s knocking on your door, but end up stepping on one of those derelict distractions from yesterday.  On the way to the door you trip over some of Timmy’s toys and stub your toe on that treadmill you never use.  Finally making it to your initial destination, you realize that there’s still a backlog of ‘must-dos’ pending.  Weighed down by this reality and in pain from the first few steps of your new day, that sunlight beaming through the windows quickly turns into the kind of beaming headache that any hangover can bring on.

Today’s post is not about setting goals or dreaming of the future.  Today is all about cleaning up our mess from ’08 so January 1st can become a morning that is filled with potential and nothing else.

Our Post Holiday ‘Must-Do’ List

• Clean out the clutter: A big pet peeve of mine is a messy kitchen when I am trying to make breakfast.  Just walking into the kitchen in the morning, the counters ‘busy’ with dirty dishes, I instantly lose my enthusiasm.  The last thing we need when rising on the 1st is a messy house, coated with the clutter of yesterday.  So it’s absolutely imperative that we cash in early for our New Year motivation and throw away the trash, give away those unused items and put away all the rest.
• Pay those bills: Nothing takes the wind out of my ‘goal getting’ sails more than a stack of unpaid bills.  Not only does it remind me of money that will soon be leaving my bank account, but it’s a chore that grates on my nerves until the last stamp is stuck.  So do yourself a favor and go though those unopened envelopes.  January 1st should be a time for forward motion, not boring bill paying.
• Get some exercise: Momentum is the best friend of motivation.  Most of us wait until the New Year has begun to start ‘being all they can be’.  But this means that the first few moments are filled with force instead of fluidity.  I’d encourage you to get your blood flowing early this go ’round.  Not only will you enjoy the momentum, but the rest of your tasks will be that much more manageable as well.
• Cut out the junk food: Pretty much the same concept as above, be sure to put your best foot forward by giving your body the nutrients it needs for sensational success.
• Finish the unfinished: Get out a piece of paper and write down all those unfinished tasks that have been weighing you down.  Then do the unthinkable…FINISH THEM!
• Resolve to forget the past and focus on the future: I’m all about learning from our past and enjoying the present, but now is the time for our gaze to be forward focused and our minds clear for the journey ahead of us.  We need to do whatever necessary to cut off the burdens of yesterday so our stride can be light, yet firm.  This New Year is a new day and 2008 need not apply.  Take all that was good from the previous and nothing else.

I know all too well that our time is short and the New Year almost here.  But the last thing I want to do in the beginning of a new, promising year, is deal with the ‘after taste’ of ’08.  I know that it is impossible to leave every single distraction in the past, but it is absolutely imperative that we do all we can to prepare for the marathon ahead.