10 proven tips for a balanced year ahead

I love the New Year season but not for the usual reasons. I don’t engage in partying (not in the traditional sense, anyway) and I don’t indulge in excess, neither regarding food, drink, shopping or other traditional holiday customs that I find bring me down rather than lift me up. Instead, I view the closing of the year and the opening of the new one as a sacred, spiritual but also goal-oriented process that sets the backdrop and foundation of success and happiness for the year ahead. And each year I am pleased with the results as I watch myself moving actively forward toward my dreams, goals and wishes, manifesting the life I want to live one beautiful step at a time. For me this process starts in mid-autumn, after the retreat season has ended and I’ve attended to setting up the plan for the year ahead business-wise. I then take some time to clean, reorganize and de-clutter my home and office, I spend private time with my family and catch up with island friends and take extra time out for my physical wellbeing. When celebratory December rolls around, including the important celebration of my son’s and husband’s birthdays followed by Christmas, I embark on my yearly pilgrimage to my former home town, Ljubljana, where together with my island family I catch up with my son, old and dear friends and take advantage of city life, immersing myself and my islanders in the cultural offerings that have always played a big role in my life. It’s very rewarding to keep this aspect of my love for city and culture alive, if only in intensive short doses several times each year. Finally as January approaches, we return back to the island in preparation for the New Year and this is when I actively engage in inspiring rituals that help me ring in the New Year on a positive, sober, guided, and empowered foot. I share with you these ten tips for empowering your life in positive ways as you embark on the New Year and wish you the most successful, prosperous and rewarding year ahead! One – Reflect back and celebrate the coming year with purpose Give yourself 1 hour to make a list of all the reasons you have to be thankful, for people and events that have influenced you for the better over the past year, and then make a list of all the things you are looking forward to seeing, doing and experiencing in the new year. Relish in the positive feelings this exercise brings you. If you can’t remember what happened to you, review your photos and / or Facebook timeline, chat with your best friend about your past year or review your diary. Focus on feelings of success and happiness and keep a positive outlook as you ring in the New Year in a wholesome way and be sure to keep the best of company while you do this, even if that means spending the night with your cat! Two – Drink if you will but don’t get drunk I’m not saying don’t drink… if you can have just one celebratory glass (or perhaps two) and if you enjoy the taste then why not indulge a bit of bubbly along with that healthy dose of festive cheer together with your select friends and loved ones. But if two glasses leads to three, four or more, you are headed for experiencing a New Year’s blur rather than sparkle, most likely followed by nasty hangover that will mark this precious time with a cloak of darkness that will taint your steps into the year ahead… And why on earth would you want to do that to yourself (again)?! Start off fresh and be your best on New Year’s day! Three – Take a daytrip to somewhere new (or loved) on New Year’s day In par with the above sentiment, changing the air and scenery is always rewarding and inspiring for the spirit. Even if this means walking a district in your city, town or village that you’ve never been to (or spent much time in) before, discovering new pathways and seeing new sights with clear and receptive eyes brings new perspective to your life and getting fresh air never hurt anyone, either. If you can’t get out for whatever reason, pick up a good book and journey on that way! You never know what or who you just might bump into in the most unexpected of places... Go ahead and see what’s just around that new and exciting corner on New Year’s day! Four – Start something new and stick with it Start 2018 on an adventurous foot. Everyone knows adventure is the spice of life; just name your pleasure! Schedule it in this January and keep up with it for a while. Try that sport you’ve always wanted to try, take up a challenging hobby you’ve always wanted to master, dare to do that thing you’ve been dreaming of doing but never quite get around to. Whatever you decide on to shake things up a bit, you won’t regret the feeling of starting off this year with the fresh energy and excitement of engaging in something new that helps picks up the wind in your sails… come on, I dare you! Five – Do something nice for someone else (and make a habit of it) If you are feeling the winter blues, one of the best ways to usher in a spirit of cheer into your life is to brighten up the life of someone else in need. This can be a friend or relative who has been having a stroke of misfortune, or it can be a complete stranger for whom you feel inspired to show a bit of kindness to. Did you know that a simple act of kindness has an incredibly powerful rippling effect felt by the receiver, the giver and anyone else who witnesses or experiences the benefit of that act? Being kind will improve your mental, emotional and physical health so get out there and be kind to others and witness the beautiful karmic effect it has on yourself and the world around you! Six – Clean and then de-clutter your home Okay, this is a big one and it may take more than just a few hours or days, weeks or months. Start with baby steps by simply cleaning the home to make it fresh for the New Year. We’ve all heard the saying that “Cleanliness is next to Godliness” and you will feel divine in your clean and tidy home. After you’ve completed the main tasks, make a plan to de-clutter your home, section by section, room by room, one category after the other. Do a little something each day (or weekly) and have weekly, monthly and a yearly goal. Mark them down in your calendar to keep yourself accountable to your wishes. No matter how long it takes to de-clutter, dedicate this year to clearing out the old in order to make way for the new. One precious rule of thumb is “if you don’t love it, lose it and if you don’t use it, lose it!” This process will have a powerful cleansing effect on other aspects of your life, too. If you don’t quite know how to de-clutter effectively, consult the online or printed works of Marie Kondo or other reputed de-cluttering experts to discover the approach that works best for you. In the end, there’s no one right way to de-clutter. Just start with something small and move forward to the next task and then onto the next, and do it systematically and continue to make a habit of doing this regularly throughout the year. When you clear out the things which are no longer necessary or serving you (and which are taking up precious space in your life, both physically as well as mentally-emotionally) you show the Universe that you are open to experiencing new things that are in alignment with the person you have grown into and/or wish to become in the near future. Go for it, you’ll feel lighter for sure! Seven – Donate don’t ditch After you’ve done your de-cluttering, why not give away your ex-precious items to someone in need; this can be a friend, an acquaintance or even a total stranger or charity. Don’t have a birthday present for your dear friend? Why not begift them with something you once loved and think they will, too? You not only experience the beautiful qualities of compassion, sharing and giving but you also help make this planet a better place by not ditching useful things in the trash and adding to the incredible amounts of waste that litter our beautiful planet. Eight – Get up and move your body regularly The holiday season for many of us means a time of indulgence in hearty festive meals, sweets, treats, alcohol, lazy days spent indoors in front of the computer screed or TV, and a general feeling of lethargy due to the shorter days and longer nights. All of this can lead to a feeling of depression and imbalance. Tackle the holiday blues by taking some simple exercise. Do something that gets your muscles moving, your blood pumping, heart thumping and mood soaring to new heights. Try vigorous walking, jogging, or biking, and be sure to keep up with your yoga practice, Qi gong, dancing or anything else that feels attractive to you, too. Remember to do this often. It is said that a little bit of daily exercise is better than a lot of it only every now and then. I know it may be hard to commit to taking care of yourself in this way but remember that if you don’t do it for yourself, no one is going to do it for you. You will even find yourself with a slimmer, stronger physique and eliminate the need to go on a silly diet that you will inevitably bounce back from… that in itself is worth the 30 minutes daily or whatever you decide to commit to! Nine – Make a habit of engaging in regular self-care and occasional pampering Many of us take on the role of caregiver to those we love but sadly overlook our own needs and wants. Why not start off this year by making a commitment to taking care of you? Whatever that means for you on a daily, weekly, monthly, bi-annual or even yearly basis, make a list and start planning it into your calendar today. Consider doing daily self-care rituals like foot massage, dry brushing, oil pulling, etc. when you wake up or at bedtime or both, or sign up for a package of yoga classes with your favorite yoga studio / teacher / or gym. Plan a weekly or monthly get together with your best buddies for a good laugh (the benefits of laughter are so great that there’s even a world belly laughing day!), purchase a package of weekly or monthly massages… Also consider the more indulgent but necessary things you can do for yourself like taking that much needed vacation away from family or work (how about a holistic retreat?!). Committing to a more balanced diet on an ongoing basis, doing a dedicated detox, signing up with a holistic therapist for a series of treatments to address chronic issues you may be facing is also worth scheduling in. You might also want to engage yourself in some form of therapy or coaching, whether it be with a trusted expert trained in helping you deal with any mental-emotional issues you are facing, or perhaps just a commitment to daily meditation and or journaling before bedtime or upon waking to clear your mind and connect with your inner silence. Ten –Take Life Inventory The New Year is a great time to evaluate and keep track of the health and wellbeing your relationships, health, career, finances, and other important matters in your life. Each year for the past 17 years I have gone through the process of what I call “Life Path Awakening – New Year’s Review and Refresh”.


Ideally, I start my review (along with the other rituals described above) after the retreat season ends and before the New Year starts. But sometimes I use all of January and sometimes February and March to fine-tune the process.


However long it takes, the process helps me to keep in touch with my inner self, my dreams, goals and wishes. It helps me keep perspective on the most important aspects of my life and it is absolutely one of the most rewarding things to be able to check off things from the previous year’s list that have been accomplished and experienced, and helps me redirect my energy toward the goals or wishes I have yet to manifest. So, as a New Year’s gift to all of our subscribers I have placed a simplified version of some of the major themes covered in the Life Path Awakening process in a downloadable copy in the member’s zone of our website. Get your copy in the member's zone today! Wishing you the most wonder-ful year ahead and let me know if you have any questions! Namaste, Evening [endif]