The Power of Less.....

I love the title of this book and am looking forward to the release on Dec 30th. Leo Babauta's new webpage will have a 30 day challenge starting Jan 1st - each challenge will take less than 10 minutes and can help transform many areas of your life.

For the past 5 years my family and I start the New Year by reflecting on our lives and what areas we would like growth in the upcoming year. I break my thoughts down into 5 categories: Spiritual, Relationships, My Health, Financial and Personal Growth.

Spiritual can be anything from noticing the sunrise on my way to work, regular meditation, attending formalized religious services, being in the moment vs worrying about past or future.

Relationships - how am I treating the people I love the most, who do I want to spend more time with and reprioritize my choices, review friendships, and most importantly how am I treating myself.

My Health - goals for this year - exercise on a regular basis, lose 10 pounds, floss on a regular basis, cut back on sugar and eliminate caffeine - schedule all routine exams. How often am I laughing or am I getting to serious --

Financial - review big picture. Any large purchases needed i.e. roofs, cars etc, Make adjustments in budget for income changes from previous year, Continue to pay ourselves first in 401k and IRA, Extra payments on house or start new business etc. Donations who are we going to support this year and how much.

Personal Growth can be from reading an additional book a month, to practicing for a marathon, volunteering, travel, uncommitting yourself if you are over committed, learning a new skill, taking a class, jumping out of an airplane ---- something new - something that will stretch you and make you a little uncomfortable.

For me this all ties together they are not separate categories I am always trying to look at all areas of my life as a spiritual practice - so taking care of my physical health is not something I have on a list - it is an activity I do and gain insight into my health, my mental endurance, my ability to be in the moment etc. It is amazing how I have transformed my life being more aware of my choices and actions. I look back over the past 5 years of New Years thoughts and goals and by consciously making little changes over time I have learned to embrace life everyday.

Stay tuned........