Hello December New Moon, another phase has passed and opportunity to reflect and set fresh intentions. I use these phases as a measure and self awareness check in, as my lineage traditionally has. It offers a natural rhythm of stability as we navigate the crazy beautiful dance of life.
It's easy to get lost in the daily stuff which can soon escalate to chaos or busy-ness, professional goal setting and forget about our own personal goals and aspirations. We get so distracted and swept up that before we know it, another year has passed and we haven't made much progress towards our real vision. Maybe we aren't even really clear on what it is we really want any more.
So as the year draws to a close it's a lovely practice to set intentions to end the calendar year and transition to another for our greatest and highest good.
But do we plan, or do we allow life to flow?
What's the point in planning, if we are not meant to attach to the outcome, and apparently 'God laughs while we make plans'?
Paradox zero point we feel you yet again.
What to do - be like the water and flow - or plan, micro task and schedule my way to the goal?
It's both, it's balance. Yin and Yang, Masculine and feminine. Mars and Venus. We carry both.
There is a way to identify and tackle the big important thing in your life (masculine), and to allow life to flow (feminine). In fact, it's essential to have both - we must allow space in order to slow down enough to integrate our experiences, and to see the opportunities around us. When we then set a clear intention and priority, and broken down the steps to get there, we can start taking those steps with confidence and faith.
We increase our faith because we have exercised our decision making and intuition muscles. We trust ourselves to prioritise and to plan, all while resourcing motivation through self-regulation, and simple daily practices connecting to our natural rhythm, vital energy, our breath and nature.
So prioritising. But decision making is so difficult!
We all question our decisions. The fact is, there is no right or wrong decicion. There is a vision, and there is the next step towards it. In taking that step, and creating space around it, to listen within - we will soon know if it's aligned, or not. The mind will jump in with doubt and questioning - that is not intuition. Intuition fizzes inside and says 'yes', even if there is a fear, there is excitement.
The essential aspect is to recognise what is truly important to us and what aligns with our personal values and goals. Prioritising aligns with that. Prioritising also dissolves the overwhelm, because we are focussing in on just the one thing right now. It trains the 'Power of Now' skill also (thank you Eckhart Tolle).
Getting a yummy vision complete with all the feels (feeling how it feels to achieve the Thing). This could be anything from connecting more deeply in community or with loved ones, business development, or next level self care (it's all connected). Once we have identified our priorities, we can then break them down into smaller, more manageable tasks. This is where planning comes in handy, and can be really fun.
We are holding the vision in mind, and also feeling into the steps, the micro visions. We get to know ourselves better, especially when we recognise a trigger or resistance and have to nurse ourselves through these moments.
Planning is not just about creating a to-do list (in fact I'm an advocate for scrapping that list all together, and scheduling tasks straight away), it's about creating a holistic approach to our lives that incorporates self-care and inquiry, focus, organisation and time management. Business and personal, it's a lifestyle choice. These are horribly corporate words I know.. they are transferrable skills I learned in that world as it goes. I rebelled against them to 'flow' for years. But actually, in balance it works.
It's about scheduling the next, manageable action step, rather than overwhelming ourselves with an endless list of tasks without priority, and then attempting to multi task them (just no). By breaking it down into micro tasks, we are more likely to stay motivated and on track. It's a much more gentle approach on our system and mindset.
What happens when things don't go according to plan?
Generally we get frustrated, and try to force it. But nothing in nature is pushed or forced.
Life is unknowable and unpredicatable, that's the beauty of the divine paradox and so there is often a discrepancy between our plans and reality.
This teaches us patience, resilience, self regulation. It can teach us to be with our frustration and discomfort and uncover the layers of why it's coming up at all. It's usually based in some trapped emotion.
The point of the plan is not that it all runs perfect and smooth.
Planning trains our decision-making and intention setting muscles, and we are more likely to move forward if we have a safe structure to move forward in. Having support and accountability is also a winner for this action phase. It could be a friend, family member or coach, but having someone in our corner that we respect, and that inspires us, to hold us accountable can make all the difference in the execution steps.
It's also really important to give ourselves plenty of time around the schedule for time out, and time to just be. This feels a bit counter intuitive - as surely we 'should' be working on the thing??
Self care is non negotiable for a healthy mind and body, giving us a miraculous vessel where we can be clear enough to maintain our focus and create the reality we actually want to experience. Without time out, down time, we will not focus, it's a fact. Dopamine depletion is a thing. Burnout is a thing. This is why incorporating personal goals into our daily practice is also crucial. This could be anything from gardening, cooking, drawing, journalling, dancing, breathing, movement, or (and essentail for optimum health) spending time in nature. Time to let the creative self take the lead, let the inner child play, lighten up.
By incorporating our personal values aligned goals into our daily routine, we are way more likely to stay motivated and focused - because we are emotionally invested.
Prioritising and planning as a dopamine ritual
The mind loves repetition.
Creating a specific sacred space to show up in consistently gives an element of reverence and divinity to our intentions. Regularly checking in (which is why moon phases help), prioritising and planning allows us to shift and change if we need to (it's ok to change the plan). This exercises both logic, and a little mystery.
There is of course a neuroscientific explanation for all this - which helps our logical mind accept it. When we prioritise and plan, we activate the prefrontal cortex of our brain, which is responsible for decision-making, focus and attention. This in turn releases dopamine, the infamous hormone responsible for motivation and pleasure.
By breaking down our goals into smaller, more manageable tasks, we activate the reward system in our brain, which keeps us motivated and focused on our end goal. The reward system praises us for the small efforts that we are making along the way. So the significance of attachment to the end goal begins to blend into the experience itself.
The practice of prioritising and planning is not just about getting things done, it's about creating experiences and a mindset that supports our entire personal development and growth and a whole being. It's about taking a deep breath away from the distraction and noise of life, material possesions, stories of comparison and competition, and looking within ourselves to identify what truly matters. Maybe we take a step back from working 'in' the midst of it all, and we take an overview. By creating a sense of sacredness and divinity in our daily practice of life, we can tap into our inner flame of divinity and find the motivation to pursue our dreams and things that really matter.
As the great philosopher Aristotle once said, "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit."
By incorporating prioritising and planning into our daily routine, we are creating a habit of excellence that will support us in all areas of our lives. This then allows us to serve, and increases our will to do so - to serve from the overflow of our full cup.
I love to encourage people to take a step back, look within and simplify life. The clarity that comes from the simplicity is golden.
I love to encourage people to visualise and prioritise what deeply matters and create a plan that supports our dreams and holistic self development.
When we create a vision around the non negotiable priority, break it down into micro manageable tasks, schedule the next action step and activate the reward system in our brain - we are living a well lived life. This doesn't happen every day, and it doesn't happen over night. A new habit becoming a new lifestyle takes at least three months (90 days is the sweet spot which is why I offer a 90 day container).
I love to create this space for myself, and hold this space for others - so we can give ourselves the time and space to simply just be, to tap into our inner flame of divinity and find the motivation to actually and actively pursue our dreams.
In the end, we see its about the journey.
If you love all of this and want to dive deeper, get in touch, book a complimentary coffee chat
Download a free 'Rooted in Wellness' resource for more of this 👉 clarebelmont.net