Do You Need a Boost?

5 Tried and True Strategies to Give Yourself a New Year Boost

You know it’s January. When. Everything is slow to get started.

The engines of motivation are churning very slowly.

Or maybe it’s like a car trying to start on a really cold morning. You hear a sound as the engine tries to turn over, but it’s really having to think about whether it’s going to do that or not. The sparks just aren’t firing. Or maybe the engine doesn’t start at all. Period. Your battery is out of power.

You need a boost.

OR – maybe you’re all get up and go? The Christmas/Hanukkah/whatever-you-celebrate holidays didn’t have you miss a beat! You are ready and raring to take on the world!!

Which one are you?

1. Your engine is thinking about turning over but needs a few attempts to get going
2. You need a boost – your batteries are totally dead
3. You are ready and raring to go! The turn of the New Year hasn’t caused you to miss a beat

I’m a solid number one in this scenario.

The kids were off SOOOO long this break for us – 17 days and counting as I write this. It will be 18 days off school for my Grade Seven student, and close to that for my High Schooler by the time we are all said and done.

And while we all embrace the hang-out days of the holiday season, the eating lots of turkey and way too much chocolate, the many late nights, and, for us, a lovely snowy escape — getting back to the business of life, work and school in the New Year can be a push for many of us.

Many of us need a “boost,” or a few tries to get going.

What do you do when you need a boost to take on the next year? Here are a few of my strategies that are tried, tested and true:

1. Say goodbye to the previous yearWhatever your feelings about New Year’s Resolutions and January 1st being just another day on the calendar, I like to take the opportunity to mark the turning of the calendar page in a real way. I release and let go of all that I want to say goodbye to and step into what I want to make happen for myself in the next year.

   This is not a short process. It’s reflective and purposeful. I set aside a few hours of time around the turn of the New Year and give myself a pat on the back for the things I am proud of accomplishing, and say goodbye to the things I wasn’t so proud of. It’s a purposeful acknowledgment of the passing of time. And while it may seem quite simple, don’t underestimate the power behind it.

2. Say hello to the next year – with intentionI don’t make resolutions anymore. I’ve never been very good at them anyway. Now I design powerful, purposeful intentions that are a much more positive and forward-thinking way of designing your life. Resolutions guide you to say “NO” to something. Intentions guide you to say ”YES” to something.

   Wouldn’t it be so much more productive and motivating to create your future with positive steps vs. squashing out what you don’t want to see anymore? For example, losing weight is a popular New Year’s resolution. What if your resolution was to “gain muscle” instead? What do you need to do to gain muscle vs. lose fat? The result may be the same, but the energy mindset behind the process is completely different.

3. Create a visual representation of what you want for 2018It can be a vision board. It can also be a simple photo. It can be a Business or Personal Life Plan written out and pasted up somewhere where you can see it. It can be your Intentions for 2018 written out. It can be a single, intention-setting word that you want to step into more this year. Whatever it is, make it visual. This will help keep you focused as you move through the year.
4. Forgive yourselfDo you find each passing year gives you another stick to beat yourself up with? Do you look at the past year and marvel at all that you didn’t do? You’re not alone. That’s why so many of your friends want to crawl under a rug when they turn a year older too. So many people are disappointed with their lives. Is this the year you change that trajectory? Is this the year you forgive yourself for all that you are not and embrace all the wonder that you are?
5. Take care of yourself and Celebrate YOU!Self-care is the number one thing I counsel my clients to put on their “to-do” list. If you don’t take care of yourself, you won’t be able to take care of all the people in your world who are counting on you. You are number one on your list, and if you aren’t, this is the year to try to put yourself there more often.

Is this speaking to you? Then read on…

For those of you who have been following me for a while, you know that I am in the business of giving those who need it a “boost.” Any time of the year – not just in early January if you’re in the Western Hemisphere, or in July if you’re in Australia or New Zealand – but ANY TIME.

We can need a boost absolutely anytime.

For me, my business year follows the school year for the most part. When the kids wind down, I wind down; when the kids wind up, I wind up. This is a blessing and a curse as those who are solidly in the business world find the kids’ school year a total nuisance.

Were we off school this much as kids?!? we say to ourselves. And how are we ever going to pay the bills if we have to take that much time off as well?

For me, I started my business so I could wrap myself and my career solidly around my children’s schedules. If they need me, I want to be there for them. If they are taken care of and ready to take on their worlds independent of me, great! I’ve got stuff I can do.

The question is, where are you RIGHT NOW in building your business or building your career? Does your business planning need a boost? Does your career need a rethink? Do YOU, yourself and YOU need a reboot?

I’m here for that too.

I have three programs that I walk my private clients through:

1. Your Personal Balance Equation
2. Your Personal Business Equation
3. Your Personal Leadership Equation

And they all start with YOU – understanding what you need in your very own Personal Balance Equation to ensure you have what you need so you can live a balanced, fulfilling and successful life for you.

Do you need more fulfilling work in your life? Or perhaps you need more FUN? Do you feel you have given all your “me” time away already, and you are NOT ready to step back into another season of no time for yourself as you cater to the needs of, well, just about everyone else except you, it seems?

What do you need, this year in 2018, to feel successful? What do you need to feel you are giving to you, to your family, and to the world in a way that is meaningful for you?

If this is striking a chord for you, pop me a line at susan@susanelford.com and we will set up a time to talk, live and in person, about how we can work together in 2018. You can find out more about all three of my programs on my website at www.susanelford1.wpengine.com, and I am happy to create a custom program for you, too, if your interest is peaked but you don’t see the exact right fit.

I have a heart for working with passionate women who want to dig deep to find their fierce courage so they can take the steps they need to create a life, a career, a business, that will make them feel truly happy and fulfilled – all while still serving those who need them most. It’s the new work/life balance equation – YOUR Personal Balance Equation. What do you need to feel in balance and fulfilled, in every area of your life?

Is this the year you make the investment you need in YOU? What do you need to say NO to so you can say YES to your business, to your career, to your life?

P.S. If you’d like to receive regular issues of Balancing Your Total Life in your inbox twice a month, sign up here or below so you don’t miss a single post! You will be joining a community of like-minded, career-loving, life-balancing, go-getters who want to make the most of every single day. And, if this is speaking to you in a way that is sparking you to make some real change in your life or in your career, and you’re looking for more CLARITY about what’s next so you can be SUCCESSFUL in your career or your business, send me an email and we’ll set up time for a complimentary Balance Breakthrough Session. We will get you well on your way to figuring out how you can make those needed changes so you can balance it all and feel fulfilled in your life and in your work.

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