Get out of hibernation and into the new year

Are you ready for a new year? Most of us come out of our holiday caves in a bit of a cranky, hibernating-bear mode, blinking and saying, "Already?"

But this year, I invite you to jump out of your cave, beat your chest and bellow something inspiring like: "I'M ALIVE, AND SO ARE YOU!"

Then begin the rapturous journey of living, loving and learning in 12 fresh, juicy, clean months to become what you really, truly want to become.

If you're still hovering between the "cranky bear" and "I'm alive" stages, perhaps check out some messages from a short but fun read in a perky red-covered book by Dan Zadra simply called "5."

In it he shares, "Start by choosing the two most important 'guiding stars' — your values and your mission. [Then] create goals to help balance the wheel of your life. Think of your life as a wheel with many different spokes. To have a balanced life, each spoke needs your attention."

Think for a minute about your personal life wheel. What is the hub, the core of what makes you roll along daily, that matters most to you?

Have you taken 10 minutes yet to get quiet and think about what your ideal life could look like this coming year? Part of anyone's values is spiritual direction in whatever practice that entails, so I encourage you to be still and let those feeling-thoughts, as I call them, come to you.

As they do, write them down without self-editing.

For myself, I did this exercise with 3-by-5 notecards. As the thoughts came, I simply wrote them one at a time on the cards. Then I organized the cards into three main areas — Self, Relationships, and LIFESkills (like be still daily for 30 minutes, stay organized and replace severe chocolate craving with yoga at 3 p.m.)

Each of these areas are the "spokes" Zadra spoke of. As you address something from each spoke, you will have a balanced turning of the wheel in your personal progression.

In looking at the spokes, it could be tempting to overwhelm yourself with EVERYTHING you want to change about your life. Sort through the cards and only choose the top three things that completely, thoroughly resonate with your mind and soul. Then choose the most resonating in each area. Lastly, choose the area that gives you the most knock-your-socks off, let's-start-changing feeling — begin with that one. Take that area one week, one goal, one chewable chunk of time each day (even just 10 minutes) to focus on moving forward.