In the last blog post, I gave you a quick tool to use to work toward saying hasta luego to 2018. Closure is a really really good thing and for myself, when I can look back on a year and see what I've accomplished (as in - the places where I have thrived) and then also recognize the places where I have survived (and sometimes just barely) - it really helps me move forward.

As a side note - Jason and I have realized we are terrible celebrators so putting pen to paper on the areas where we have thrived is good for us.

Once you've said good-bye to 2018 - it's time to start looking ahead to 2019.

As I've said before - I take the entire month of January to jot down ideas pertaining to what I might want to accomplish, where I want to spend my time, and some areas where I think I might need to improve.

I'm not going to share all of my ideas - that would be way too exposing for me and I wouldn't want you to hold me to them just yet (I'm still in exploratory stage) - but I at least want to give you a couple of ideas as to what is on my list:

• take a weekend Enneagram course - here is the one I am eyeing

• explore holding a RLFW retreat in the Fall in the mountains

• dining room re-do

• Sunday evening Bible Story + dessert with the littles

With that in mind, here is what I want you to do - take a page in your journal (or in your calendar or just a plain ol' sheet of notebook paper) and write down - "thinking about 2019" or "potential goals for 2019" (just make sure it's something non-committal at this point). Then start dreaming and jotting. If you need some help - you can use these questions:

• What is something I could do this year that will fill me up? (Think: self-care)

• As I look at my calendar and my to-do's are there any areas where I need to say "no" in order to make time for other things (OR in order to make time to simply create white space)? (This one is SO hard but SO important.)

• Is there a subject matter that I'm interested in learning more about? Could I take a class or a course? (I found this website recently that could fit the bill for all sorts of interests.)

• What is one way I can improve my parenting? (This can be simple or complex, depending on how you look at it. To give you an example - last year, what I wanted to improve upon was connecting with my boys at night by lying with them in bed and reading, cuddling, and/or scratching their backs and talking.)

• Something I could do to make my space (home, office, yard) more comfortable? (For me - the focus will be two rooms that I really want to be more cozy and relaxing for our family.)

• What's an area where God is asking me to surrender? An area where He is calling me to risk? (Again - SO hard, but also SO important. Is there an area where you feel like God is tugging on your heart to either release or to pursue? If so, what would it look like to take steps in that direction?)

I'd love for you to take some time for the rest of this month (and on into February if need be) to dream. And just jot away whatever you might come up with. Just this morning, as I have been working on this post, I have added 3 more things to my list.

Looking Ahead

Once I feel like I have a rather complete mess of a page, I then try to narrow down my focus. Last year, for instance, I came up with six categories of focus -

• community

• work

• boys

• house

• supporting Jason's pursuit of adventure

• miscellaneous

This year it will look different. I'm not there yet so I can't say for sure.

Listen ladies, it's vulnerable to dream and to think about where we want this finite life to go. Sometimes I feel silly thinking that life could be better or more than it was the year before.

BUT I encourage you to hush those voices and assure yourself that this can indeed be YOUR year. It can be the year you pursued healing with all your heart, the year you chose to embrace self-care to get you through, or even the year you decided you were going to make your bed (because in my life, a happy bed = a happy heart).

And it doesn't have to be perfect. Of the 18 or so intentionals I came up with for 2018 - I accomplished 8 of them. And I am thrilled because that's better than none and that's better than a life with no direction.

I'd love to hear what makes your short list if you'd be willing to share. And I also want each of you to know - you can respond to this post and keep your name anonymous. Would love to hear from you here.

xo - Shelley