Planning the New Year

Happy Solstice!

Planning Day is something I’ve been doing for the past several New Year’s, although I just formally found it named by Jamie Ridler Studios. It’s a day to contemplate and review and dream, looking forward to the next year and, well, planning!
 
I don’t have a formal process for my Planning Day. It’s just a compilation of thought prompts, journal questions, and daydreaming. Here, I’ll share my resources so you can develop your own guidebook for next year.

• First, Jamie Ridler Studios, best described in her own words: “…inspirational workshops, coaching, vlogs, blogs and the Creative Living with Jamie podcast – everything you need to bring your creativity (and yourself) to life!”

 
This year, I’ll start with her “Celebrate the Season that Was” and “Imagine the Season Ahead” worksheets to get into a good headspace by reviewing the year I’ve had and projecting forward as things put into action this year continue to influence my future. I’m also going to use her “My Focus Journal” worksheets to be more specific about what’s important to me, and how I want to focus on those areas.

• Next I’ll pull out the beautiful New Year’s Day workbook my teacher Maia Toll put together a few years ago. She is a very cerebral teacher who also consciously incorporates less cerebral heart work, so there’s interesting creation to be done in her “Intending the New Year” lessons.  

I’m not sure that it’s still available for download anywhere online, so let me share the steps with you. You’ll miss out on the beautiful illustrations and instruction details, but you’ll also get the point!

1. List 26 things you are grateful for from the year that has passed.
2. Choose one thing from your list. How does your body feel when you relive this moment?
3. What do you want to build this year that will last into your own (or perhaps a greater) future?
4. Think about what type of year will bring you joy, or contentment, or solace, or adventure. Choose a word to describe the year you most want to have.
5. Apply this word to finish the following thoughts: What will bring [your chosen word]…
   1. To my family life
   2. To my social life
   3. To my home
   4. To my work
   5. To my body
   6. To my heart
   7. To my mind
   8. To my soul
6. What are 3 do-able action steps that you can take this week to stat the year off right?

• Also from my teacher Maia, I’ll redo an “assignment” she gave me during a mentoring session: Write a story about your life, one year from the writing. What will life look like, in as much detail as possible?

 
I’ve done this twice already, and when I re-read them it does amaze me how many things in it have come to pass. I’m not great at setting goals, breaking them into action steps, and revisiting them blah blah blah. But writing a narrative that includes all the details I dream about, from where I live to what kind of soap is in my shower, really sticks in my memory and I find myself referring to it as a guide. Will this opportunity/choice/decision put me in that story?

• Deepak Chopra's 7 Laws of Spiritual Success are part of a guided Abundance meditation by him that I try to use regularly. Ideas like "My actions achieve maximal benefit with minimal effort" or "I nourish the universe, and the universe nourishes me" feed into how I want to make choices, so I'll be sure to meditate as I begin my planning day.

These are the main tools I'll use as I daydream my way through looking ahead into next year. May the new year be merry and bright for all of you, too!

---