Dear Pinkies, please welcome the brilliant Danielle Vieth, a wonderful writer and wise Pinkie who came to the rescue a few weeks ago, when some of us were feeling surprised that the New Year hadn't filled us with new ideas, new dreams, or new energy the way we expected. Phew, thank you, Danielle, for reminding us to slow down, take stock, and allow for things to happen in their own time. It's a message we can't hear often enough - and makes for a perfect Mojo Monday exercise.

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Happy Mojo Monday, Pinkies!

A fresh new decade and a new year are upon us. With the New Year comes new goals, desires and intentions. If you and your goals feel less than ready to hit the ground running, it could be that you could use a little closure on the past year. A lot goes down in a year and watching the ball drop in Times Square isn’t always enough of a wrap-up. In short, we need to take stock of where we’ve been in order to get to where we're going.

It’s my pleasure to share today’s Mojo Monday exercise with you. I first learned this from the ever-inspiring women’s health pioneer, Dr. Christiane Northrup, on one of our monthly telegatherings for Team Northrup. Dr. Northrup shares this exercise with us every January as a reminder of the importance of bringing closure to the old in order to make room for the new.

It’s tricky for our brains and bodies to step into this New Year if we don’t feel any sense of completion from the year that just passed. What’s the solution? Dr. Northrup suggests making a list of EVERYTHING you did/accomplished/completed in 2009. Noting all you did in the past year serves as a solid foundation for what’s next. This is the step to take before creating goals for 2010. Acknowledgement of the year’s accomplishments gives your brain, your ego and your central nervous system a sense of completion so you can stop running the “I’ll never get it done” program and clear the decks for what’s to come. I know we all have big, Pink dreams for 2010, so let’s give them a solid launching pad.

Here’s how:

1. Grab your journal and set aside some time to reflect upon your year. Find a favorite spot, light a candle, turn off your phone. Do whatever you need to do to clear your head and create reflective space.
2. Get out your calendar/daytimer from 2009 to jog your memory of what you did and when. (We can’t possibly remember all 365 days.)
3. List any and all accomplishments, completions, successes, and personal victories. No accomplishment is too small. If it comes to mind, it makes the list.
4. Comb through each area of your life: career, family, spirituality, finance, love, sex, social life, health, fun, etc. Be sure to list accomplishments that go beyond the traditional definition of success. (Did you speak your truth or create a boundary? Did you laugh harder than ever? Did you surprise and delight someone or yourself? What did you start/quit/join/find/create?) In looking back you’ll be amazed at all you’ve done in a mere 12 months.
5. To ramp up your Mojo, share your list with a loving friend/partner/spouse. (Important: Pick someone who is truly your cheerleader. No naysayers allowed!) The benefits of sharing are twofold. This person who knows and loves you can remind you of anything you may have forgotten and serve as a witness to all you’ve accomplished. Having a witness to your successes validates them and anchors your sense of completion.
6. Once you’ve finished, breathe it all in, celebrate like crazy, look at your list and affirm, “Yes, I did that.”

Now you can step fully into 2010 and you and your New Year are ready to rock.

Feeling complete,

Danielle

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