Even though the year has already started, it's not too late to plan out your goals, dreams and desires for the year ahead. Having a clear plan helps to direct the Universe. It also makes our days flow with more ease and allows us to make decisions from a place of alignment.
Once we know what we want to accomplish, we can then work with the natural energies of our cycle, as well as factor in key astrological and numerology dates, to map out how we will manifest our intentions.
I want to share with you how I've been planning out my unstoppable year for 2020, (my planning is still in process, and will continue until Chinese New Year which falls around the same time as my birthday). I use a combination of woo-woo new age tools such as tarot cards along with practical coaching strategies. I will also use many of these tools ongoing throughout the year when I check-in, reflect and review throughout the year- especially on new and full moons.
The First Phase of Planning Your Year
First of all, you will need to set aside several blocks of time when you can really focus and get into doing this work.
A good way to start your unstoppable year planning is to get out a journal and to go through a few different exercises to excavate your soul’s calling. For several years I have used Susanna Conway’s Unravel Your Year workbook to look back on the previous year and to guide me as I look forward to what it is I want for the year ahead. A good follow-up to this is my own Unstoppable Year GPS tool which you can download below.
From these two workbooks it’s then nice to decide on your Word of the Year, which is like your theme to focus on in the year ahead, it helps to focus and centre you as you go through life over the coming 365 days. My Word of the Year in 2019 was ALIGNMENT and I have decided that for 2020 (after a LOT of reflection) my guiding word is STRENGTH.
Similarly, your Intention of the Year can help to give you direction during the year’s journey as you make decisions, start new project etc. My Intention of the Year for 2019 was I AM LIVING IN FLOW AND ABUNDANCE AND FEEL NOURISHED AND BALANCED. I’m still feeling into my intention for 2020 but it will involve change, transformation and growth.
The Middle Planning Phase for the Year Ahead
With that deep left-brain wordy work done, I like to then speak to my right brain visually. There is no better way than through creating a vision board, which will help to really tune into your feelings and emotions and laser focus your year with power and intention.
I like to have my word of the year front and centre of my vision board and keep in mind my Intention and what that looks and feels like in picture form. This can be fun to do with members of your family too and you can even create a family vision board for the year. I like to make two vision boards- one for my personal life and one for business, but you don’t have to be this detailed!
The Final Phase of Planning Your Unstoppable Year
Next is where we again activate our practical left brain using more right brained energetic tools to plan out the when and how of our dreams and visions.
First I will use a couple of my favourite oracle card decks to make a year ahead spread, pulling cards representing each month of the year. I will write the guiding ideas into my journal and refer to these when I map things out onto my planner.
It can also be interesting to read about your numerology personal year number and find out what you can expect from a numerology perspective in different stages of the year.
Once you know the energy that you're working with in 2020, you can get into the practical side of planning out your year. There are so many good planners available, but the ones that I am currently using are The Law of Attraction Planner (this replaced my Passion Planner which I used for many years and which is also great!), the Moonology Diary and a regular, simple daily date book from the stationery store which has space for my daily tasks and appointments and making notes about my to-do list.
I also love to use a year-in-view wall calendar (I got mine from the stationery store or you can also print them out online) on which I will mark out the new and full moons and other important astrology dates on the planner including the moon phases & their astrology, other cyclical & cosmic events – such as equinox, solstice, eclipses, retrogrades.
Knowing the moon and other cosmic events can help you know what energy is influencing you from above and can help you work with it in harmonious ways. Also working with the waxing and waning energy of the Moon in general can help you tune in to the subtleties of your own energy cycles and how you ebb and flow. My own My Unstoppable Life Journal has a calendar section where this can be good to map out each month.
I am a also huge believer in astrology- it is so good to know what energy lays ahead and what I can expect to be needing to manage in advance. There are good days recommended for doing certain things and other days where it’s recommended not to do certain things that I think are worth considering when planning the year out.
When it comes to planning dates for launches in my business or the best times to be doing particular things in my personal life, I will consider these dates, the lunar cycle, as well as numerology (the universal year number and personal year number events) and other significant dates in my horoscope. I combine this information with my vision and consider the practical steps needed to bring it to life and the best timings to do so within the year.
I have almost completed a year-long astrology program so I have a good understanding now of my personal horoscope for my sun, rising and moon sign for the year as well as each month and specific days. I encourage you to learn more about your own horoscope if astrology interests you!
So there you have it- my process for planning an awesome year that feels intentional, spacious yet focused and achievable and also makes me feel prepared and grounded too.
I’d love to know what process you have for planning your year and if there are any other tools you love to help you.
I also invite you to join the Unstoppable Sister Circle, my 9-month live group coaching and mentorship program that will really guide and support you in being unstoppable in your business and life in 2020. The doors are now open and the program will kick-off on the January 25th new moon!
Please note: This original blog post was written on January 18, 2019 and was updated on January 9, 2020.
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