You’ve heard of “Christmas in July” right? Well how about New Years in July?

Yeah yeah, I know. New Year’s Day is in January. We’re supposed to think about resolutions, fresh starts and goal setting in January not July…right? WRONG!

I love the idea of saying goodbye to the old year and welcoming in the new year in January when I hang up my fresh new calendar that is so full of hope and possibility. The problem for me however; is that January 1st is a difficult time for me to truly sit down and commit the kind of time and attention to resolution making/intention mapping/and goal setting that I’d like to. Rather than feeling contemplative on January 1st, I’m usually busy recovering from the holidays and exhausted from being on the road (we head to Kansas every year to celebrate Christmas with my family) so I’m simply not able to plan my year the way that I’d like to.

So…I have designated July as my personal New Year. July works well for me because 1.) it is my birth month (why celebrate just a birth day when you can celebrate a birth month?) 2.) It is roughly mid year and 3.) My summer schedule is less hectic than my winter schedule thus I am able to commit more time to planning and goal setting.

As I am typing this, July is drawing to a close and I must say–this has been a particularly FabYOUlous month in a particularly FabYOUlous year. Earlier in the year I found out that I won a national sweepstakes with the prize being an all-expenses paid trip for four to Hawaii (can you say ALOHA!). Then, to round out my year, in the month of July alone, I was honored to be recognized (at a spectacular awards gala) as one of twelve 2015 Colorado Women of Vision and then, (in a totally separate event) I was featured in Mind + Body Magazine as a Northern Colorado Superwoman.

Needless to say–I’m a little sad to see this year go because it has been one that has brought a great deal of joy, excitement and FabYOUlousness. Still…as great as this year has been, I’m convinced that next year can and will be even better.  I’m convinced that this will be the case because I am committed to making sure that it is.

Whether you choose to start your new year in January (like everyone else), on your birthday (like me), or on any other random day (because seriously–there is never a bad time), here are a few suggestions that will help you to make your new year, the most FabYOUlous one yet.

Six Tips for Creating Your Most FabYOUlous Year Yet…

–Stop the Blame Game. Take a look at your life. Do you like what you see? Are your relationships strong and healthy? Are you strong and healthy? Do you enjoy a satisfying career? Is your leisure time relaxing and rejuvenating? If your answer to any of these questions is no, you need to take a long look in the mirror because the person looking back at you is the only person that you have to blame for any less than desirable results that you are experiencing in your life.  Oh sure–it might be easier to blame your crappy boss for your job dissatisfaction or your spouse for the lack of passion in your marriage, however; it is only when we are willing to stop placing the blame on others and fully accept responsibility for own happiness and success that we are truly able to make meaningful strides towards our most FabYOUlous year and life. Blaming others for our rotten circumstances will do nothing but keep us trapped in them. When we blame others we bind our own hands by denying ourselves the power that we possess to make things better. When we blame others, we are simply using the blame as an excuse to camouflage our own shortcomings that we are too ashamed or scared to address.

Once we stop placing the blame on others and begin accepting responsibility for our own actions and behaviors, we will gain the authority to take back our power and begin calling the shots in our own lives. This is when we will begin to see positive changes take effect and this is when we will begin to experience true FabYOUlousness.

–Set Your Intention. Many people make resolutions at the beginning of a new year. Unfortunately, many of those same, well meaning people break those resolutions within the first month of the new year. Rather than making resolutions, try setting intentions for the year ahead instead.

The dictionary defines the word resolution as “the action of solving”. Obviously, if you are looking to solve something, it means that you are addressing a problem. Therefore; making a resolution means that you are focusing your time, attention and energy upon something that you perceive to be a problem. This flow of negative energy rarely results in sustained positive change.

An intention on the other hand, is defined as “the determination to act in a certain way.” When you are setting an intention there is no negativity swirling around a problem that needs to be solved. Instead there is positive energy focused upon a positive vision of yourself that you desire to see manifested. For example–if weight loss is your intended outcome, rather than making a resolution to lose thirty pounds, try setting the intention of becoming your best self by adopting a healthy lifestyle.

This simple mindset shift can elevate you out of a cycle of negativity and help you to reach your goals for the new year more quickly and with less struggle.

–Create a Structure for Success. Once you’ve set your positive intentions for the new year, it is time to bring those intentions out of fantasy land and into reality. In order to do this, you will need to do a bit of preparation because as NFL Hall of Fame Quarterback, Roger Staubach said “spectacular achievements are always preceded by painstaking preparation.”

One step in the preparation process is to identify and implement structures that will help to ensure your success. A structure is any system or support utilized to help us manage ourselves, our time and our actions. For me, I use my iPhone to set up reminders and to help me schedule time to write and work out. I also use my calendar to block out time each week for activities that bring me closer to my intended result and I use Evernote to help me keep track of thoughts, ideas and notes. I’ve also begun planning my wardrobe the night before so that I don’t waste valuable time in the morning stewing over what to wear every day. Someone who has set the intention of living a healthy lifestyle might schedule time every other morning to meet with a personal trainer or accountability partner and begin using a Fitbit to track fitness levels.

These structures don’t have to be anything elaborate (in fact, the less complex the structure, the more effective it can be) but creating solid plans and implementing supportive structures into your routine will not only help you to achieve positive results in a more consistent and timely manner, it will also provide you with the peace of mind of knowing that you have safeguards in place to help ensure your success.

–Develop Some Discipline. Ugh…the dreaded “D” word. As kids, none of us enjoyed being disciplined when we misbehaved, but it was that very discipline that helped us learn how to behave appropriately and helped to mold us into good, conscientious and responsible adults.  

Though we may no longer have parents, teachers or other authority figures acting as regular disciplinarians in our lives; discipline is still a key ingredient in the recipe of our success. In fact, I whole-heartedly believe that self-discipline is one of the greatest gifts that we can give to ourselves. Until we are able to take our heart’s desires and translate them into an actionable plan that we stick to by employing self-discipline, we will remain prisoners to our procrastination, fear and laziness. Self-discipline therefore, truly is the path to freedom, fulfillment and FabYOUlousness. Yes–self-discipline might sting for a little while, but how much better it is to suffer the momentary sting of a little discipline than to suffer the eternal agony of regret.  

–Take  Action. In order to experience our most FabYOUlous year yet, we must take action. If we don’t take regular, committed action towards the intentions that we have set, the year that we intend to have will remain nothing more than a fantasy. Taking action does more than just move us closer to our intended outcome–it also creates momentum to help us sustain our forward motion. When we utilize the power of self-discipline and the power of positive momentum, our intentions will manifest more quickly than we could have imagined.

If you aren’t sure what action you should take, make researching and outlining possible action steps your action. Whatever you do though–don’t allow yourself to become stagnate. You don’t have to do something big every day–but you do need to do something. Click here for a technique that I utilize every day to help me take strategic and consistent action towards my intended goals.

–Treat Yourself as Kindly as You Would Treat Someone Else. This final tip is one of the most important ones but also one of the most difficult. So many of us are kind and loving when it comes to other people and yet so cruel and judgmental when it comes to the way that we treat ourselves. GIVE YOURSELF A BREAK! No one on this planet is perfect, not Gandhi, not the Pope, not even your sister in law with the perfectly behaved kids and never messy house. We all have our fair share of shortcomings but that’s OKAY. We are setting intentions to help us become the most FabYOUlous versions of ourselves possible and we are getting better and better every day.The universe can only give us that which we are giving to ourselves–therefore, it is our responsibility to treat ourselves with love, kindness, compassion and patience. It is our responsibility to graciously and courageously bring forth our FabYOUlousness.

By accepting personal responsibility,loving yourself, setting positive intentions and taking actions with the help of supportive structures and self discipline, you can be sure that your new year is going to be a FabYOUlous one–no matter when you choose to start it.