The New Year always feels like a fresh, beautiful new start. It’s the perfect time to re-evaluate life and make necessary changes in the areas that we feel could be improved. It feels like anything is possible because the year is shiny, new and ready to be moulded and shaped in to anything we desire. It’s all about dreaming big n’ bold.
Before I talk anymore about how to be successful in 2014, I have a confession to make. I feel like a really lousy blogger because this is the first time I’ve written in almost 3 weeks. Right after Make It I was still going 100 miles/hour because I had so many holiday social events and friends to catch up with. I did not allow myself to stop because I was truthfully scared of what would happen if I did. The months leading up to Make It and especially during the show, pretty much every single minute in my day was accounted for. I went into autopilot and I didn’t have to think about my next move because it was already planned out. I thrive when life is like this, but I know at some point if I don’t take time to relax it will catch up with me and I’ll crash and burn.
For the past few weeks I have been hanging out at my parent’s winter home near Phoenix. It’s a gorgeous retirement community that feels like a resort. Since arriving, I’ve had no choice but to slow down. There is nothing really ‘to-do’ each day besides lay by the pool and play this funny game my parent’s love called Pickle Ball. When I was in the thick of Make It, I dreamed of how amazing it was going to feel when I was in Phoenix recuperating and relaxing. The truth is, it was way harder than I thought!
For the first week or so I felt so much stress and anxiety because I didn’t know what to do with myself. The idea of reading a book and taking it easy was nearly impossible. I felt like I had so much I needed to do (even though I technically didn’t), but I also really didn’t want to do any work either because I was mentally exhausted. It was a strange and frustrating paralysis.
I finally feel (almost) normal again and realized as a creative entrepreneur you need to be careful and mindful when switching gears. If you’ve been working like a crazy person, it’s not always so simple to come down after. It takes time and care to adjust to a new way of being. Giving yourself permission to slow down and enjoy a different pace of life is crucially important. Otherwise it’s like slamming on the breaks when you are cruising steadily at 100 miles/hour. Not so good for the transmission!
The content of this blog as intended to be sent out before Christmas, but as I explained I had a weird paralysis thing going on. I hope it is still helpful and will help you to recognize that relaxing and doing nothing is not always always easy, so you need to give yourself a little time to adjust.
I hope your holiday season was filled with love, warmth and magic! It’s the start of a brand New Year with infinite possibilities. Take some time over the next few days to get quiet so you can reflex upon 2013 and create a kick-ass plan for 2014. Setting intentions and getting clear on what you do want is the only way to make it happen. I do this all the time and I’m truly amazed at what I have manifested in my life.
My friend Dani Kreeft (check out her rad card business) recently sent me a link to the famous Earl Nightingale sermon, The Strangest Secret. I have probably listened to it 5 times already and still have not extracted out all the incredible insight. This audio is from 1956, but it has SO many golden nuggets that will help you to think differently about your life. It really helps you to get clear on how your thoughts determine your reality in a way I’ve never experienced before. I’m also loving Steven Pressfield’s The War of Art and know it’s already changing my life!
2014 is going to be my year to step up my game and really go for my dreams. I hope it will be the same way for you, because when we are doing what we are put on this Earth to do, everyone wins.
Wishing you a sparkly and bright New Year,
Jenna
