There’s nothing like “fresh!” Here we are at the beginning of a new year. We’re just a few days into the month. Each of us has an opportunity to wipe the slate clean, reset our goals and design our next twelve months. There are many great ways to harness this energy on a daily basis. I’ll share some of my ideas and I’d love to hear from you too.

5 Ways to Get a Fresh Start

Find Your First Sip- Conjure up the scent of that morning pot of coffee brewing. After delighting in the aroma, now imagine taking your first sip from your favorite mug. For me, this simple act of enjoying my coffee not only is pleasurable, but also signals that it’s time to begin again and sets a hopeful tone for my day.  If you’re not a coffee drinker, perhaps brushing your teeth, taking a shower, or doing some deep breathing will work instead. The idea is to find your starter or first sip.

Display the Vibrancy- Another way to create a new start atmosphere is to add fresh flowers to your environment. I love getting flowers before their petals have opened.  Cutting their stems, arranging them into favorite containers and placing them in full view creates a tone of vibrancy, life and hope. I particularly delight in bouquets of tulips this time of year. Their joyful shapes and colorful blooms remind me that the cold of winter will soon be followed by the warmth of spring. It’s hope in a vase.

Pump Up the Positive- Take time to reflect on your accomplishments and good memories from last year. These thoughts will create a positive expectation and increase your confidence as you take on new projects and goals. When I think about the past year, the two things that stand out most for me were successfully launching our youngest daughter off to college and writing regularly for my own blog and others. What are you proud of from last year? What experiences did you have that boosted your happiness?

Let it Go- It’s all too easy to stay stuck in the Land of Didn’t Dos. To make the most of your fresh start, let go of your mistakes, disappointments and failures. We are human. None of us are exempt from these experiences. The key is in how you process them. Depending upon the depth of the disappointment, you might not be able to put it aside without some outside help. If something is holding you back to the point of contaminating your days, get the help you need so that you can let go and move ahead. Learning, forgiveness and understanding are essential.

Bring On the Sparkle- There’s nothing like a little bit of glitter to lift my mood, create some daily magic and set the tone for experimentation and possibilities. This season in particular, shiny things are everywhere and I love it! However, long before the design industry deemed it so, I have enjoyed being surrounded by glittered-laden pencils, sparkly eye shadow, reflective glass, sequined pillows and jeweled picture frames. These external sparkles remind me to pursue the people, places and things that bring out that inner twinkle.

Sometimes it’s the smallest of things that lets us take a deep breath, forgive ourselves and allow us to move forward. Whether it’s that first sip of coffee or a glitter-covered Eiffel Tower ornament, surround yourself with cues that encourage you to make the most of the New Year. What inspires your fresh start?

We all experience days that we just love. Today is one of those for me. It’s a Sunday. Life seems quieter, sleepier and more peaceful than usual. The family is around and without any special plans on the agenda other than relaxing and allowing the day to unfold.

This calm was accompanied by the anticipation of the first big snowfall of the winter and the new year that is rapidly approaching. Today’s peaceful feeling was a welcome contrast to this time of year, which is often focused on the angst of change and transition. We make time to let go and unclutter ourselves from stuff, negativity and busy schedules. We evaluate, plan and decide what we want for coming year. There are endings and new beginnings, which can elevate our stress levels.

I find myself sandwiched between these two diverse states of calm and anticipation. I feel happy simply enjoying the here and now, yet excited thinking about the snow and goals for the coming year. I am looking forward to the future while still being grateful for the present.

Around noon, the flurries began ever so slightly. My thoughts became filled with being snowed in and cozy with my family. I imagined cooking together, sipping hot chocolate with marshmallows and just hanging out. My list of plans for 2011 seemed far less important.

There will be plenty of time for planning. There will be plenty of time to prioritize my goals. For this moment in time, I am grateful for the blanket of snow, the family being together, the homemade soup we just shared and the hot chocolate with marshmallows that will soon be enjoyed.

What are you enjoying right now? What are you looking forward to for the coming year?

We all have markers, which are moments and events in our lives that define the passage of time. We have birthdays, anniversaries, new years, new seasons, new months and new days.  Each marks a time of reflection, change, growth and beginning again.

For me, one marker that’s become a tradition is our friends’ annual Winter Solstice party. This wonderful gathering of interesting people includes live music, dancing, food and an enormous bonfire. While I love everything about this event from seeing old friends to meeting new ones to hearing great music and dancing away, my favorite part is the lighting of the fire.

As a group, we each take a candle, light it and trek up the hill into the middle of the woods. Some years we walk through lots of snow. Other years, like this one, there was less snow. Once we get to the clearing, we form a circle around the stone pit. In the middle is a magnificently built teepee-shaped structure of wood standing about eight feet tall. As we wait for everyone to gather, it’s always cold. This soon changes.

Words are shared, the fire is lit and one by one, we throw our candles into the flame. As we do, we let go of negative thoughts from the year about to end and reflect on our dreams for the coming year. The blaze takes hold. The fire builds quickly and transforms the cold night.  My shivering is replaced by warmth. The mood is contemplative and magical. As the flames travel brilliantly up into the deep night sky, hope and gratitude fills my being. We are connected to each other. We are part of a tradition. We are markers in the passage of time.

The end of the year gives us a natural pause to reflect and restore our life balance. It’s the time to adjust, reset and move forward. The annual bonfire is one marker that nudges me into this mode. What is one of your markers? 

A few nights ago, I left the house to pick-up some take out food for dinner. The night was dark, cold and wintry feeling. As I went out the front door, I noticed that a light snow was just beginning to fall. This was the first snow of the season. It came down very slowly, barely stuck to the ground and made the streets glisten.

Particularly where the streetlights shone, I found it magical to watch the flakes gently descending. They looked like they were moving in slow motion.  Seeing the snow reminded me that a new season was on its way. It was time to regroup.

I was particularly appreciative of the slowness of this snowfall. I thought about how in the fast-paced world we live in, it’s especially important to put the brakes on long enough to see, listen, learn and feel what’s going on. If we continually move without ever stopping to reflect, we do ourselves a disservice. Not only do we miss out on “magic moments,” but we also prevent ourselves from hearing our deeper thoughts.

Everywhere I go these days, I hear holiday music. While some people might find this annoying, I love it! I can’t help myself from singing along. The music makes me feel happy. It marks a time of year for gatherings, parties, seeing family and friends. It’s the season for endings and new beginnings. There’s an odd pull between melancholy and hopefulness. We say good-bye to what was and simultaneously look forward to having a new year to begin again. It’s an opportunity to look at our life balance and figure out what needs adjustments and what should be left alone.

Whether it’s slow motion flurries or holiday music, there are cues in every season that indicate that change is upon us. What markers are you noticing? What changes are you anticipating?