Set For Success

Hi There!

Hope you are enjoying this holiday season with your loved ones! I’m getting pretty excited about the New Year (as in I can hardly sleep because I have so many ideas running through my head) and was thinking you might be too! I have a couple of tips and tools to help us start the New Year off with a bang!

1. It’s Gotta Go– I’m constantly trying to live by the motto “less is more.” I like to blame it on my having A.D.D., but for me, too many choices overwhelm and paralyze me from taking action (and like you, I plan on taking some massive action this year). With that being said, I am taking some time to rid myself of clutter and keeping out just what I need, the rest has gotta go. I’m a fan of garage sales (I have one every 6 months). If I’m ready to get it outta here immediately I head straight to Goodwill. If you need to organize your things I love going to The Container Store.
2. Thank Heavens for Dave Ramsey– If you don’t know about Dave Ramsey, here is his website: http://www.daveramsey.com/. If you’re like me and need to learn how to stick to a budget, but need it to be explained to you in layman’s terms, not alien, then Dave is your man. My dad is certified to teach Dave Ramsey’s methods, so yesterday he sat down with me and helped me go through my finances with some of Dave’s workbooks. I can’t begin to tell you how surprised I was by the simple process. It felt great to be in the know about my finances, and to be able to set a budget and to set financial goals for 2015.
3. Put Your First Things First– Last week, I had a session with my therapist and I was venting about how I was having a hard time parenting Ellie. My incredible therapist told me that instead of avoiding the issues, I needed to put more focus and energy into my parenting. For me, this meant some other things in my life had to go. I had to take a good look at what was taking up my time and energy and reprioritize. Ellie is of course at the top of my priority list, but because I was frustrated and uncomfortable with my parenting I wasn’t making her my top priority. As hard as it was to let go of some of the other priorities that I enjoyed doing, it felt good to know that I was putting my first things first.
4. Dream Dream Dream– One of my favorite things to do before the New Year is to take time to dream, write, and be creative—all in regards to what I want more of in the year to come! I’m a very visual person so sometimes I will create dream boards by cutting out images in magazines that inspire me, gluing them onto a board, and putting it somewhere I can see it. The images represent the life that I want to create in 2015 (some people love to do this on Pinterest). Other times I write out a list of all the projects I want to complete and then a list below each project of what steps I need to take each day to complete that project. Lastly, I love to get jazzed up for the year by reading or listening (I love audible) to a great biography about someone who overcame the odds to create the life of their dreams. Super inspiring!

I hope you found these tips and tools helpful for getting you set up for a successful 2015! I’m headed out on a family cruise tomorrow where I plan to apply these tips while on the sea! I would love to hear what you do to set your year up for success! Can’t wait to read your tips in the comments below. Thank you so much for reading my blog and I wish you a happy, happy New Year! Blessings.