The One Thing You Need To Start Your Year Right

Are you a big fan on new years resolutions?

I used to make them every single year, and every year I would inevitably break them and my type A perfectionist nature would feel like an utter failure.

"Go to the gym 5x a week." FAILURE.

"Go vegan." Ha, that one lasted a month.

"Practice yoga 3x a week." Nope.

Sound familiar?

And it got me thinking -- why do we start our years out making a resolution that is clearly well intentioned but will inevitably not be able to fully commit to (and often forget about 2 weeks later)?

There has to be a better way to be INTENTIONAL with our upcoming year -- and that's why I started a NEW TRADITION heading into this last year that really stuck with me and helped build POSITIVE momentum.

What's this you say, Amanda? 

Hush, hush, I'll tell you.

CHOOSE YOUR WORD OF THE YEAR.

 

I went into 2017 with the word GROWTH.

I started my business at the very end of 2015 and the first year of ANY new adventure is a freaking rollercoaster and filled with ALL the kinks. 

I was failing forward like crazy and had definitely started to build a foundation for my business but I had (and have) some seriously HUGE goals and I knew that the only way I would be able to achieve them was with MASSIVE GROWTH.

What I didn't realize was just how much of that growth needed to be INTERNAL instead of EXTERNAL.

I don't know about you but when I hear the word growth, I think numbers and a higher income. And while that certainly did happen this year, the external growth ONLY happened AFTER I had done a shit ton of work on my INNER GROWTH.

What areas did this include?

• Inner work on my positive self talk
• Serious work on my money mindset (*cough* scarcity mindset)
• Belief in myself as a leader
• Working "as if" I was was already where I wanted to be. 
• Developing a routine and a work ethic that was IN LINE with my goals. It turns out that big dreams without action are just DREAMS. 
• Allowing myself to DREAM BIG and crash into the fear instead of allowing it to paralyze me. 

...and so much more. 

2017 was certainly a year of massive growth for me and my team.

And because of all of the self development I did as a PERSON, and all the work I did on building up my MINDSET and BELIEF SYSTEMS, I was able to grow my team into a group of 100+ women who also want to turn their passion for health & fitness into a business or side hustle, help over 200 women BUST THROUGH THEIR EMOTIONAL EATING & ditch the yo yo dieting once and for all within my Live Your F*ck YES Life Challenges and financially, I was able to pay off ALL of our credit card debt, and start to really contribute to our family.

---

So as we head into 2018, I've been thinking a lot about what I want my word of the year to be. And through the prompts I will share with you shortly, I decided on

UNAPOLOGETIC

So often, we (myself included) apologize for the way we are and the things that light us up.

And I realized this year that I've been doing that way more frequently than I realized -- and enough is enough.

I'm CLAIMING MY TRUTH and officially going BALLS TO THE WALL with who I am, what I believe in and what is important to me and I'm refusing to hold myself back.

If that means I lose a few followers on social media because I'm too much of a crazy goofball baby grandma who swears and talks about poop, so be it.

No more dimming my light because I'm afraid people won't like me.

This gal is officially going to show up every day UNAPOLOGETICALLY HERSELF. So gear up.

Now, how does one even start figuring out what their word of the year might be?

I'm glad you asked!

Here's a combination of exercises to help you discover yours:

1. Grab a journal and allow yourself to free write -- close your eyes and think about your DREAM day. What are you doing? Who are you with? How do you feel? Got it in your head? Write down everything you're experiencing on a piece of paper.

2. Think about your upcoming year. What do you know for sure will be happening in 2018? What do you want to manifest for your year? What are some things that could happen that would LIGHT YOU UP INSIDE? 

3. Look over the words you wrote in the last 2 steps. Did any feelings resonate throughout? Any particular words get written more than once? Bonus? Check out this list of words (inspired by the lovely Susannah Conway) and see which ones pop out to you most! Circle the 5 ones that really resonate with you.

4. From the words you circled, I want you to spend some time journaling out what each of them represents to you and WHY feeling that way would make you feel your BEST in 2018. What does it represent to you? Why is that important?

You'll likely find yourself gravitating towards one or two words that really hit home for you. 

And from there -- the way to officially choose your word is to answer one simple question: WHICH ONE LIGHTS ME UP THE MOST?

That's your word of the year.

I would LOVE to hear which word you came up with!

Share in the comments below (or in our Facebook community!) so I can support you heading into the new year!

Xo Amanda 

How to make your Resolutions STICK this year.

Do you feel like you're constantly putting the same resolution on paper, year after year after year? Or you get SO EXCITED about your resolution to finally lose those pesky 10 lbs, travel more or and come February, have gotten so consumed with your day to day life that you've all but forgotten about it?

I was that gal. Hell, I was WORSE. I would make a bucket list of 50 things I wanted to do that year, would find it 6 months later and feel like a total and complete fuck up because I hadn't done any of it.

But this past year, my entire mindset on new years resolutions and goal setting has completely shifted. Instead of writing a bazillion things down that my Ego told me I should be doing/wanting to do, I have found a system that makes me FEEL GOOD and for once, actually FOLLOW THROUGH. Let's make 2017 AMAZEBALLS, ok?

My Top 3 Tips for Rocking those Resolutions

1. Focus on how you want to FEEL

Take a look at your bucket list -- or any previous resolutions you may have made in the past or are planning to rock out in 2017 -- are they actually things that light you up? Or are you putting join a gym and lose 15 lbs because that's what everyone and their mother writes down for their resolutions...

If you are doing that, know that it's TOTALLY NORMAL. I did that for years and of course, I never actually followed through with my resolutions. And I now realize that it's because they weren't things that actually made me EXCITED. 

So how do we choose resolutions that are actually in line with how we want to feel? I've come up with 5 questions that I ask myself every year that help me figure out how I want to FEEL -- and then base my resolutions on those answers!

• Other than time or money, what I want more of is...
• My joy comes from...
• I crave...
• When I'm feeling free and strong, I tend to...
• I need to give myself more permission to be...

Dig deep. Be honest with yourself. You'll be surprised at what comes out. And based on your answers, think about how you want to feel in the various areas of your life. For example: for my lifestyle/work life I want to feel FREE, for my body/wellness I want to feel STRONG, for my creativity/learning I want to feel VIBRANT, for my relationships I want to feel CONNECTED and for my inner work/spirituality I want to feel GROUNDED. 

+Read more about how to make intentions vs. goals here

+ Wanna really dig deep? Check out The Desire Map by Danielle Laporte. It was a game changer for me!

2. Create a Visual

Once you've figured out resolutions that are in line with how you want to feel, your next step is to create a vision board.

I know, I know, this may seem super hokey -- trust me, I bashed it for years -- but I actually did one this year and you know what? I ended the year having achieved almost every single thing on there. Visuals are KEY to success. So often we write something down on a piece of paper or our journal, never to be found again. Writing it down and putting it somewhere you can see every dang day is going to bring you SO MUCH CLOSER to achieving it because it's always in the forefront of your brain. (And finding pictures is just so fun and bright sooo vision boards are the best)

Not a crafty queen and love the shit out of Pinterest? 

Make a board on there and set a reminder in your phone to come back to it every week! 

3. Find a Support Squad

This. This has been the key for me.

On my search to find a way to live my dream life, I found a girl on Instagram that shared her story about how she got out of her funk, was able to build a healthy relationship with food and was able to in the span of a year, quit her full time job and work for herself on her own terms. I joined one of her virtual health & wellness bootcamps (you know, to fulfill those fitness resolutions I could never stick to) and realized I was missing out on the magic the support of these other amazing women (just like me!) provided. I instantly fell in love with the atmosphere and knew I wanted to duplicate this sense of community, which is why I host monthly Bootcamps as well. 

Over the past year, the women in these groups have become more to me than just fitness pals. They've become my tribe. My endless support squad. My cheerleaders on good days and bad. They're women who immediately get me. Who are going through the same things as me. And having an intimate support system and accountability group like this has been the missing link I needed all along.

A lot of people, when I share what I'm doing, don't get how it's possible to form such strong bonds with women who I've never met. Women who live all around North American -- scattered in places like Illinois, Florida, Colorado, Washington and Canada to name a few. But when you spend a month, 3 months, a year working on finding your best self alongside a group of women like these, you can't help but form a bond unlike anything else. And man oh man does the motivation never end. 

I wouldn't be where I am today if it weren't for these groups. I've lost 15 lbs and actually been able to maintain it BEYOND January of last year (which is a first for me). I've formed a healthy relationship with food for the first time in years and I can honestly say that all of the things I used to deal with every single day -- the self bashing while staring at my body in the mirror, my debilitating anxiety, feeling just BLAH and unconfident -- all those things have disappeared and I've found the confident, radiant and energized version of myself that I never want to let go of. Because she freaking kicks ass.

So there you have it.

My 3 best tips for rocking those resolutions aka having the most kickass 2017 of all time. 

Quit settling for the status quo. Stop allowing yourself to go on automatic pilot all over again in a months time. Decide that from this moment forward, you will actively go after a life that makes you literally excited to jump out of the bed. 

Commit to a year of YOU. (And if you're worried about that making you selfish, giiiiirl, read this.) And I guarantee, you will end 2017 feeling on FIRE. 

Ok my lady, I wanna know what YOUR goals are for 2017! Let's hold each other accountable ;)

Share them in the comments below or message me -- I love love love getting emails hearing all about your life!

Happy New Year, my loves.

Xo Amanda

Why I'm treating my Resolutions Differently This Year

For years and years, I have been the ultimate goal setter. You know that friend of yours that makes a bucket list for every year and even goes so far as to do it for every month within that year? What about that girl you know who lives off list after list? Well, that's me. Or at least, was me. 

I'm a recovering goal setter. Ever since I can remember, I've been making these lists of goals at the end of every year ...Things like: run a marathon, learn how to play the guitar, lose 10 pounds... whatever I think I need to be doing in order to better my life that particular year. And when I don't complete all of the items on my list, I feel like I've somehow failed myself. 

Most people I know don't follow through on their New Years Resolutions. By March, most people can't even remember what their resolutions were! And I think that if everybody were to really search their hearts for why they made a particular resolution in the first place, most people would likely say that they felt pressured to make a decision on something or their decision was based on something that they were unhappy about. Key example : I want to lose 10 pounds. So many people have a weight related NY resolution, and while getting healthy and getting back in shape can be a very positive decision, when a goal is made on a foundation of unhappiness and frustration, it is so much harder to want to achieve it. They focus on a number on the scale and when they implement workouts into their day, the focus is "I'm not good enough" or "Why won't the number on the scale get lower?" instead of "This is making me feel so amazing". 

So this year, instead of making a list of things to accomplish that I think I should be doing, I'm going to focus on a few small things that I can do that will hep me feel the way I want.

And for me, I want to feel:

Free      -      Grounded       -       Vibrant      -       Strong       -       Joy

So here are my resolutions for 2016. And this year, I choose to focus on doing things for myself that allow me to feel the way I want to feel. Here goes...

+ Reconnect with my childhood self. Paint, color, play make believe, climb trees & make up stories.

+ Move my body everyday in a way that makes me feel strong, grounded and energized. I've tried every kind of exercise under the sun and I've found that I feel most alive when I am on the yoga mat or doing strength training, so I'll be focusing more on that this year!

+ Travel somewhere I've never been before. I love the feeling of exploring new places and cultures. I'm such a travel bug and I am craving a beautiful adventure.

+ Live in the now. Let go of the past. Be present, mindful and say YES to new adventures. 

I urge you, nay, I DARE you to set your goals this year based on how you want to FEEL. You'll be amazed at what a difference it makes in what you put to paper. So...don't be shy, sharing is caring! Post your 2016 Goals in the comments below!