The end of the year is usually so busy that we forget or simply ignore the opportunity to set ourselves up for the best possible start in the new year. In the northern hemisphere nature retreats, shuts down and lets go of the year’s fruits readying herself for new blossoms. We too should take the time to discard the old and quieten down in preparation for our new creative cycle.

These five simple strategies will help you to reflect on the year’s experiences, take stock, prepare your mindset and let go of the things that you don’t need to carry with you into the new year.

Gratitude

Last week we wrote about three ways to supercharge your gratitude practise. Learn to appreciate the journey rather than the end goal. When we celebrate the little successes along the way we are able to connect to what really matters and find joy in doing what we are doing everyday. When you get excited about life’s opportunities, every single moment you attract more good into your life.

Rolemodels

Who inspired you this year? What did you learn from them? We can learn a lot about ourselves based on the people who inspire us. List 20 people who awoke excitement and hope in you. Were they business leaders or activists? Were they artists and creators or thought leaders and rebels? Here’s a list of 16 female leaders who inspired us.

Do one thing

You can start living the life you want any moment of any day. Our lives are happening now and not in some distant future when the stars may be aligned. To connect to your inner drive all you need to do is to recognise the need to ‘be you’ and then commit to doing the work (personal growth, planning, learning and so on).

People often postpone everything unnecessarily. The new year can be a fresh start but so can be every day. Start one thing from your resolutions list before the year end. If you don’t know what you want read this article ‘How To Set Goals If You Don’t Know What You Want‘ for guidance.

Mindset

Women who tap into their internal strengths and let go of the fear of failure are able to build courage and step outside their comfort zone in more gentle ways. Women are much more likely to adopt a new direction and go after their dreams if they accept taking small steps and avoid big leaps of faith.

When you quieten down for reflection, you give yourself permission to feel your emotions and who you really are. It’s time to start building your mindset by trusting that it’s ok to want a bigger life. Learn how to step outside your comfort zone and embrace change the feminine way.

Let go

Now is the time to ask ourselves – what is important to me? Like, really important. What’s in my heart? What does my inner voice whisper to me when I am quiet and listening? And then, another question – am I living my life according to what is important to me?

Asking ourselves these questions and being honest with our answers is a great opportunity to assess whether we are living the life we want to. It can bring into sharp focus the things we have but that don’t serve us, as well as what is missing.

Now is the time to make space for what makes you happy and let go of the ideas, things, responsibilities, attachments and relationships that no longer serve you. Write a list, clean cupboards and make space for the new year and all the life’s possibilities.

DrivenWoman is a female only empowerment platform and accountability network, that helps ambitious women to achieve their goals and dreams by creating positive habits one step at a time. Thousands of women around the world have joined our program and are achieving their life goals, which range from entrepreneurial dreams to career change or simply being more confident in their own skin and enjoying life in the present moment.

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