Reflection: A new decade, ready or ...
A new decade will arrive in less than 9 weeks.
New DECADE!
NINE weeks!
How. did. this. happen?! Why didn't anyone warn me...us (well, I'm warning you now)?!
[Pausing to take deep breaths. Many many deep breaths.]
I have this little thing about perfection, even when I'm preparing for a new initiative in my life. I tell myself all the work is about preparing for success (and sometimes I am). A lot of the time, however, my preparation is a way of putting off new things...life improvements...in the hopes that I'll be able to both create and implement the perfect plan. And I mean PERFECT.
In a perfect world, new decades would not only start with a new year, but also with a new week (like a Sunday or Monday). This next decade, 2020, starts on a Wednesday. A WEDNESDAY (better than a Tuesday or Thursday, but still....). OK, so the Wednesday isn't ideal, but fortunately, "2020" is a great number (note the repetition of "20" and "20," as well as the associations with a TV show and good vision). The number itself makes up for the mid-week start.
But I digress.
In my perfectionistic planning, not only would I set new goals to coincide with new year/decade, I would insist on getting new equipment and tools. I mean, how can I fail with new notebooks, pens, and calendar? What about having a new bike, shoes, socks, clothes, and biking app? I'm telling you, if I start a new initiative on the right date and day of the week, AND have new equipment, nothing can stop me. Success is a slam dunk! [Cue Chariot's of Fire or Rocky theme songs.]
Except myself. [stop music]
What if achieving goals really has less to do with aligning numbers, days of the week, and new equipment, and more to do with aligning those changes with my deepest values and dreams, as well as my way of being in the world? I'd have an easier time removing the obstacles that keep me from success (things like fear, self-sabotage, misplaced priorities, lack of confidence, or old messages of failure).
Let me take that a step further. What if, instead of waiting for new weeks, months, years, or decades, we decided to prioritize our lives NOW? (Yes, I'm switching from I to we, 'cuz you knew this was going to be about you too, right?) What if we decided to address our lives in anticipation of a new year, rather than waiting for it?
Think about it.
Imagine waking up on Wednesday, January 1, 2020. What do you want that to feel like? I want to wake up that day celebrating that I've already started living into my hopes, dreams, values and deepest longings. I'm not going to think about resolutions on January 1st, because I'm not going to wait for 2020 to address the changes I want to make in my life.
Having a life coach is one of the key strategies I'm using to me keep me focused, help me prioritize the things I'm addressing, and help me to both identify and remove barriers that get in my way. If you want to do the same, I'd be delighted to work with you as your life coach. Let me know how I can partner with you in anticipation of 2020.