When I was 21 I found myself stepping off a greyhound bus with pretty much nothing to my name. As my feet hit the pavement, I spotted Mom and Dad. The relief in their eyes was overwhelming. We hugged so hard - Then I embraced my Ugly, and took ownership of the recovery road I knew was ahead. 

If you'd rather listen than read I did an entire podcast on this topic - Click here to listen

I didn’t know what my next move was but I did know how I wanted to feel.

I just wanted a normal life.

My first step was to really think about what that normal life looked like. What it felt like and only then could I take the next step at putting it into action. 

There is one thing though, that I missed- I really didn’t know how to praise myself for the huge leap I just took. I could only focus on the people I hurt, the money I lost, the shame I felt. There was a piece of me that knew the pride and felt the strength I had to drastically change my environment. It was terrifying. Yet there I was. A warrior. And it would take me years to realize that shoving my experiences in the closet was not taking her with me- The strong powerful brave girl was muffled.

Planning is a popular topic. Some people obsess about it, while others choose to let life happen and continue to adapt.

I am somewhere in the middle. It's hard to get to a destination without knowing what you want or where you want to go.

What is the next move? The planning process for me begins with honouring everything you have made it through this year.

 1 Take out a piece of paper and honor the good, the bad, and the ugly of the last year.

The bad and the ugly are also necessary to the puzzle pieces that make YOU unique and STRONG. All too often we turn on ourselves with labels.

How would you talk with yourself as a child? Write it all down.

So many things come flying at us from everywhere! From media, friends, and family 

To get what you want you have to know first where YOU are.

2 Next is to start to visualize and write how you want to FEEL

Seriously, get out a piece of paper and literally write out your perfect day - Be ridiculous BUT include your workday, a type of movement, the people you are with, and the activities you’d love to do with more time. Now with that - you have some power- you have something tangible to grasp onto. An anchor for your goals.

3 Stop writing so many goals. Start writing intentions instead. 

What if I told you reducing your goals from 10 goals to 3 intentions would bring you further faster? This is how we do it in the Ideas in Motion Planner. Choose 1 intention for your mind, 1 for your body, and one for your purpose. 

I’ll share my example from last year 

Mind - I have an intention to meditate 10 minutes a day for 28 days.

Body- I have an intention to follow my workout plan 80% of the time for 28 days and to listen to my body when it needs extra recovery.

Purpose- I have an intention to write for 90 minutes each day before the sun comes up for 28 days. 

The outcome of that was a written and self published book within 90 days and I stuck with my wellness plan! 

4 Make yourself a vision board. 

Do this with a drawing - stick figures, magazines, whatever just get it out of your head and onto something you can see daily. This helps you with distractions, and there will be MANY 

Goals or intentions don’t work if you are not working towards them every single day. You have to write it down. Get some action. Start with 15 minutes if you have to. Nothing gets momentum if you don’t have movement. End of story. 

Get a planner, a notebook, or whatever you need to have in front of you every single day. Break down that big dream you have into a million little pieces if you have to. Just start!

5 If you are still wondering where that time is, consider building boundaries around your smartphone.

When I quit smoking almost 2 decades ago, I didn’t realize how much time I was using to “go out for a smoke” until I wasn’t anymore. I know you are the type of person that is not addicted to your phone but hear me out. There might be something you can tweak that makes a huge difference. 

Your smartphone is like a junk drawer and can cause decision fatigue just by existing in space with you.

6 Let’s recap. We are in a new place and time right now. Start fresh and adopt some new strategies for planning your next move

Taking out a piece of paper and honoring the good, the bad, and the ugly of the last year.

Start to visualize and write how you want to FEEL

Stop writing so many goals. Start writing intentions instead. 

Make yourself a vision board.  

If you are still wondering where that time is, consider building boundaries around your smartphone.

All of these strategies and more  have helped me year over year gain confidence, self awareness, and get ish done! and are baked right into The Ideas in Motion Day Planner & Journal System Available in digital copy, physical copy or even join me in a live online class where I personally walk you through it and we do the work REAL TIME.