3 Questions to Help You Fully Inhabit 2018

Happy Friday and Happy 2018! I’m just back from Costa Rica and wrapping up a wonderful visit with my parents and honestly I haven’t really caught my breath. There is laundry piled up on my couch. (We are learning that it takes a while to do post-vacation laundry without a dryer!) And Rich took the kids to breakfast so I could have the casa to myself for a bit.

We are all floating in that delicious “back but not yet back” feel at the end of vacation and I am really excited to share some photos from our adventures. But know that I am busy dreaming and scheming some really special new offerings for 2018, including of course the print version of The Flourish Formula — which will include a brand new foreword and update written by my husband! So stay tuned for more details on the book plus new ways of working with me.

The New Year can feel like a lot of pressure, especially if you work in or follow the personal growth industry. You may have seen posts about how to do it well, how to make smart resolutions which actually create new habits, etc. In fact there is so much information about how to evaluate the past year and make space for the new that it can almost feel intimidating, like what if I don’t do it right?

So lets just take a breath together and remember that a little bit of intention can go a looong way.

And not gifting yourself a reflective pause but just stuffing yourself back into your regular routine doesn’t feel great either.

So I’ve recorded a quick video, the companion to the one I shared last week on The Three Questions to End the Year Clean & Clear. This week’s video offers Three Questions to Guide You in Inhabiting Your New Year.

The questions are deceptively simple:

What Do I Want Less Of?

What Do I Want More Of?

How Could I Connect the Dots?
i.e. How Could I Create a Life with More and Less of These Things?

View this third question more as a puzzle to crack than a problem to solve. (Approach it more as play than work.)

At this point you may only have clarity about the first couple of steps. That is enough.

I love to put a big poster-size sticky note on the wall with each question on the top and then jot down answers on smaller sticky notes and place underneath. This allows you to capture the inspiration over a few days as it comes forward. And feel free to include the whole family in this activity! One year we lit a fire and all did it together.

Fresh out of poster-sized sticky notes? Don’t let it stop you. This exercise also works beautifully with ten minutes, a notebook, pen and a warm cup of something good.

Either way have fun!

Also I loved hearing your responses to my question about what you would like me to cover in 2018. I’m planning a new regular blog post, at least once a month, where I address a specific topic or question from a reader.

Here are some examples which have come in so far from readers wanting:

More info about the behind the scenes process of downsizing and moving to Nicaragua

Details about how Rich and I work together and how I make decisions in my biz

Tips on what to do about that habit of comparing and despairing and feeling like you are not as far along in your own life (or as trusting of life) as you would like to be.

I can’t wait to dive into these questions more. If you have a topic or a question you would like me to address reply here with a quick note and let me know!

Wishing you a year full of beauty, truth, and lots of good surprises.

Warmly,

Courtney