A New Year ... what will you do with it?

Happy New Year!  May 2014 we all that you wish it to be.

As I was mulling over what my first post of 2014 would be I realised that Slender Goddess is 2 years old ... happy dance ... big grin ... Happy birthday Slender Goddess, and thank you for all that you are to me, all that you have taught me, and all that you have (hopefully) brought to others.  And thank you to those of you who have taken the time to read my blog ... you are all most appreciated.

And in mulling over what this, my first blog of the new year, would be I thought about exactly that ... a new year ... a new opportunity to do things differently ... new opportunities.  So ... do you set New Year's Resolutions?

I used to, but by the end of January most (if not all) would have fallen by the wayside and I would just be disgruntled and disgusted with myself for not achieving my resolutions.  According to the University of Scranton, Pennsylvania, their research indicates that only 8% of those who set New Year's resolutions achieve them.  Eight percent seems to be a recurring theme in setting resolutions, goals, intentions.  Research has shown that only 8% of the world's population ever set goals, and that only 3% of that 8% actually achieve those goals.  I think, too often, we set huge goals for ourselves and then, when we realise the enormity of what is required to achieve them, we are overwhelmed and lose interest.

A few years ago a good friend of mine came up with the idea of picking just one word for yourself ... a word that would have meaning for you ... a word to focus you for the new year.  Her idea was adapted from the original concept written about in Elizabeth Gilbert's Eat, Pray, Love where she talks about a single word describing a city.  You can read her original blog here to get a better idea of how it works.  And since then, she has challenged us annually to pick a word for the new year ahead.  And I have to say, it has worked a treat!  By narrowing it down to just one word, it allows you to narrow your focus so that you are not overwhelmed from the get-go.

In 2012 I chose "Achieve" as my word ... and boy did I ever (you can read about it here).  However, in 2013 my word, "Success", didn't quite come about as I had intended it to.  Yes, I did succeed in certain areas of my life but the success as I had defined it never came to pass.  Although success didn't come to be as I had envisioned it, it came to me in far different ways than I imagined ... blessings for which I am truly grateful.  Now, in 2014, we have been promoted to three words for the year (you can read about it here).  So, I have chosen my words (Surrender ♥ Abundance ♥ Service), set my intentions, and look forward to this new year and what it will bring.

I now challenge you to do the same.  Pick 3 words that are meaningful to you, set you intention, and then go out and do it!  What will your 3 words be?  What will you do with this brand new year brimming with wonderful new opportunities?  Let me know ... I'd love to hear about it.

May you be richly blessed in the year ahead.  Much love and good wishes.

Warmest regards,