8 Ideas for New Beginnings
Are You Ready for a New Beginning?
Whether you’re celebrating a new year, a birthday, or another kind of fresh start, here are eight ideas for new beginnings. Use these rituals and practices to help you feel connected, rejuvenated, and excited about what’s ahead.
When the New Year is here —
When the new year arrives, there can a lot of pressure to start things off right. Instead of checking through a list of things you “should” do, explore these eight ideas to help you feel connected, rejuvenated, and excited about what lies ahead.
A Fresh Start at Any Time —
Whether you’re celebrating a birthday, just moved into a new home, or are honoring a new beginning for another reason, use the ideas below for a fresh start at any time.
01. Honor Where You Are
Grab your journal or go for a walk. Reflect on these questions. What’s ending? What’s beginning? What does this fresh start mean to you and how do you want to honor it?
02. Refresh a Small Space
A physical clearing can feel so good. Select a space that needs a refresh. Dust, vacuum, take out trash, and set aside items to donate. Move things around so you can appreciate what you have. Treat yourself to something new if you’d like (but you don’t have to)!
03. Set Resolutions, Goals, and Intentions
These can build from year to year and season to season. You don’t have to get it perfect. Try, experiment, learn, and leave room for yourself to make progress.
Resolutions. What do you resolve to do?
Last year my resolutions were to be more timely and give myself room to breathe between things. In 2022, I want to get outside for walks + hikes.Goals. What do you want to accomplish?
Last year I didn’t set a lot of firm goals. I wanted to focus on what was in front of me and enjoy the journey. I read The Surrender Experiment by Michael Singer and was very inspired to take a softer approach to the year. In 2022, I have financial goals set for my business (with a longer-term goal of building a team).Intentions. What do you want to anchor to?
Setting intentions is a practice of gathering a word (or group of words) that act as an anchor back to yourself and what you want. For a new beginning each month, try setting your intentions with the new moon. In 2022, my intention is to align with my intuition.
04. Choose a Word or Phrase of the Year
You can choose one little word, a couple of words, or even a phrase. For inspiration, check out Ali Edwards One Little Word. In 2022, my words are Progress + Alchemy.
05. Pull a Card or Do a Year Ahead Spread
Select one card as an overall theme for the year, and then choose one for each month. If a card doesn’t make sense to you, pull a clarification card for more information. Here’s an example of my 2020 spread here. And if you’re curious about using your intuition while pulling cards, listen to this episode: Tarot Cards, Oracle Decks, and Connecting to Wisdom.
06. Make a Vision Board or Mood Board
Vision boards and mood boards are visual anchors to what you desire in the new year (or new beginning). You can make digital boards on Pinterest, Canva, or by creating a folder of saved images on Instagram. When you’re making a vision board IRL you can put it on a bulletin board, poster, inside your journal pages, or even on a file folder. For some inspiration, you can scroll through my past vision boards.
07. Write a Letter to Your Future Self
One of my favorite holiday traditions is writing a letter to my future self. Give this practice a try or adapt it to make it your own. When writing to your future self, you can give practical ideas and advice along with encouragement and support. Shifting perspectives is uplifting and a great reminder that you have so much wisdom within.
08. Reflect in Your Journal
Set aside a small amount of time to answer these four questions:
What do I want to celebrate?
What do I want to cultivate?
What do I want to release?
What do I want to receive?
Remember: You Get to Choose!
No matter how you start this new beginning, keep in mind that you get to decide what works for you. Release anything that you feel like you “should” do and lean towards whatever feels good, rejuvenating, and exciting.
Listen to the Celebrate Cultivate Podcast
We’re easing into the first episode of the year with a conversation about new beginnings. Listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or here by pressing play above.