Happy January and 2019!

It’s the beginning of a new year and my clients and I have been busy looking at goals, themes, intentions or words for the year.

I must say I love this feeling of new-ness each time it comes these days.

However, I have had years when I haven’t felt as hopeful. There were years that felt the same as every other – when I felt stuck or uncertain as to what I was doing or what I wanted to be doing.

In those times, I know that I would’ve done pretty much anything for more Clarity.

And even when I do have a good sense of what I’m doing, that Clarity can sometimes be fleeting. Maybe I’m feeling low energy or unwell or maybe something hasn’t turned out the way I expected or hoped and I can succumb to that powerless feeling.

At the beginning of the year, or at any time of the year, Clarity helps us remember who we are, where we’re going and why.

Here are 3 steps to finding and connecting with more Clarity, no matter where you are on your journey:

Step 1: Your Destination. Now we all know, we can’t move forward if we don’t know what we’re moving toward. Sometimes that’s easy. Sometimes we know exactly what we want – that new job, financial security, a relationship, There’s a specific goal that we’re working toward.

Sometimes, though, it’s not so easy. We aren’t sure what we want. Or perhaps we have a sense of it, but it’s not quite clear yet.

Well, wherever you are, identifying at least what direction you are moving is key. So if you don’t have a specific goal in mind, try one of the following:

• An intention/theme: what would you like life to include more of this year. Perhaps it’s Love, Connection, Family, Travel, Compassion or something else. It could sound like, “I want to practice more Compassion this year.”
• Word of the year: I’ve seen this in most of my circles this year. People like choosing one word to focus on for the year. To be honest, this feels a little restrictive for me, so I have one main word and 3 ‘sub-words’ so if you like to make your own rules, like me, you have full permission to do so!
• A feeling: If you’re in transition or are in the midst of a big change, sometimes it feels like too much to think about goals or even intentions. If that’s where you are this year, just identify one feeling you’d like to experience more this year. Is it Peace, Confidence, Courage, Harmony or…?

Once you have a sense of where you’re going, it’s time to identify some steps to get there.

Step 2: Your Map. Sometimes you might be able to identify all the steps at once. But sometimes you might need to just go to the next corner before the next road and turn becomes clear. This might feel a little scary to not have it all mapped out, but I assure you this could save you lots of time in the long run.

 Again, wherever you are, here are a few aspects of your map that are useful to have in place as you move through this journey in the next year.

• Activities: What activities will you choose to take part in (or not) that will support your destination? How often will you do these?
• Action Steps: This can be related to the activities or can feel separate. Identify the main action steps you could take to move toward your destination. Some people like to look at the year as a whole. Others like to focus on a month. Choose 1 – 3 action steps for now.
• Routines: What routines do you need in place to support your action steps/activities? All you really need is one to get started and build from there.
• Behaviors: What behaviors do you want to adopt to support you on this journey? Again, one is plenty to get started.

Step 3: Your Compass. Even when we think we know where we are or where we’re going, we can still get lost. The most important part of this is your compass. This is YOU – your foundation.

For me, the 2 steps above are most often the easy part. This step, Your Compass, is a lifelong journey of self awareness and discovery.

That isn’t meant to sound overwhelming, but simply like the beautiful invitation it is.

Having your inner Compass allows you the ability to stay on track with your destination. And it creates an understanding of what you can do when you get off track.

Even though I have a lot of tools myself for this and I’ve been on my own journey of strengthening my inner compass for years, I can still take a wrong turn toward my destination in any given year at any given time.

In the past, I could get waaaaay off course. It could take months or even years to realize that I’d lost my way. I see this with my clients as well and is part of the reason coaching can be such a great support.

Here are a few questions to focus you in on that beautiful inner compass of yours:

• What do you most need to stay connected with your destination in the months to come – a way to get back to clarity even on those days that feel a bit foggy?
• What has gotten you off course in the past and what has supported you in getting back to the clarity of where you’re going?
• What is one thing that you know about yourself that could make a difference in making it to your destination this year?

With a strong inner compass in place, you get off track less often and when you do, you’re more able to take stock and re-group so you can more quickly back on track.

In upcoming newsletters, I’ll share more about strengthening that inner compass.

Until then, be where you are – whether that’s getting clear about your destination, your map or your inner compass. Wherever you are, enjoy connecting with your dreams/goals/intentions of 2019. And remember, just as Audrey Hepburn said, “Nothing is impossible, the word itself says, ‘I’m possible’.”

And if you’re needing some support with your destination, map and/or compass, Schedule a 30 minute Exploration call with me.