Lots of people start off the New Year by making resolutions they won’t keep; resolutions to do things, to not do things, to get things or to get rid of things. We jump into the New Year taking action without ever becoming aware of what’s most important to us.  Today, I worked with a group of ladies who wanted to start their New Year in a whole new way. We started with what’s important.

And what’s important was different for each person. We did an exercise that helped us explore our core values…the things that ignite us, inspire us. With those ideals in mind, we then looked back at the happenings of 2013.

I heard a wise person once say, “if I want to know what you treasure, just let me take a look at your calendar and your checkbook.”  So, each of us actually looked at our calendar and reviewed our financial records to see how we spent our money in the last 12 months.  Did the activities we engaged in and the energy we exerted support what’s important?  Did we spend our money on things we truly treasure? It was an eye-opener for some of us.

What’s important to you? 

If someone looked at your calendar and your checkbook, would they find entries that reflect what’s important?

How were you in alignment with your values? 

Where were you out of alignment?

In order to live true to what you value most in 2014, what will you need to:

• Start ?
• Stop ?
• Continue ?

So, this year, don’t make a resolution.  Make a commitment to identify what’s important to you. Then, you’ll have a shot at living true to who you are.

Happy New Year!