December is the time when, in light of the holiday season and the closing of a year, we tend to spend time reflecting on the past year.  We enjoy reminiscing on all the fun memories and moments that occurred in the year as well as all we have accomplished. The truth is though, for so many of us this is also the time when everything we didn't do or "go after" during the year comes up as regret or wishful thinking that next year "will be the year"; making this the perfect time for us to catch, and start going after, what I like to call "our true desires". These are going to be disguised as the "Oh, maybe I will get that done next year" or "I really gotta start doing that in 2024" or "Starting January 1st I'm going to...". Sound familiar? If so, you are definitely not alone in this one. 

All of us have that mental checklist of dreams we've been carrying. Maybe it's a career change, a fitness goal, or a creative endeavour. But year after year, these dreams of ours go unchecked with little to no progress. So year after year, these big dreams sit, in our minds, as a figment of our imagination, just waiting for us to dust them off and bring them into fruition. 

Ever wonder "WTF is this about? This dream excites me and makes me feel like it would be an amazing experience and adventure to go after; yet here I am actively not seeking it?" I was right there with you and here is what I discovered; The culprit is your subconscious mind. This part of our brain, without us knowing, loves playing little tricks on us and triggers this procrastination when it comes to us chasing these big dreams of ours. For some this can last decades or their whole lives, if they never become aware of the power their subconscious mind has over them.

The goal of our subconscious mind is to keep us safe and alive, which up til now, for all of you reading this, it has done a phenomenal job doing so. However, there is one small, yet consequential, flaw in the design of our subconscious; it perceives significant aspirations as a life threatening scenario. Meaning, anything falling outside your established comfort zone that registers as, fear, doubt or uncertainty (namely your dreams), your subconscious mind will read as a threat (as in - a life threatening threat). As a result, this "threat" causes your subconscious to commence it's dutiful work, which is getting you to do anything, yes anything, but go after that goal. So because our big goals, ALWAYS lay outside of our comfort zone and because our subconscious is not confident about what is happening on the other side of those borders, it immediately shuts the goal down, sometimes before we even get started. The. End.

So, let's unpack why December holds the key to conquering those New Year's resolutions and setting the stage for an impactful year ahead. A year that actually leads us where we want to go. The reason is actually simple, it is because now is the best time to get your mind ready and make a detailed plan to attain your goals. It is now, not next month, that these goals will be weighing on your mind, making it easier to identify them and all the reasons (a.k.a. excuses) as to why you have not yet pursued this goal of yours. It is so easy to say "I will do it in the New Year" but the truth is, the chances of you actually making a solid and effective plan in the New Year are the same odds as every other year, slim-to-none.

Think of it this way, the New Year creates this sense of a "new beginning", the sense that we have the whole year to get around to accomplishing these dreams. We have lots of time, right? So, we will find an excuse not to start, then we get busy, and then another excuse, then something unexpected happens to our <<insert family member here>>, and before we know it, December 2024 is knocking at our doorstep and the cycle continues. The key is harnessing the thoughts that are evoked with the sense of "the ending of a chapter" the end of the year gives us. It is a great way to build a solid foundation for your plan for yourself and your dreams before the upcoming year arrives.

So knowing all this, I invite you to play a little mind game with yourself, take this information and take sometime to see what comes up for you as this year draws to a close and then, using THIS FREE RESOURCE make a plan to make that big dream of yours a reality and start working towards it during these last weeks of 2023. Start pushing your comfort zone and make it grow. Train and rewire your mind to trust what you are doing and by doing so you will gain more confidence to go after the things you truly want. The truth is in order for us to get what we want we all have to get comfortable with being uncomfortable. So start with small steps and build, build, build. You are a creator, so start creating the life you want instead of dreaming about it and putting it off. 

One last thing! Make sure you are subscribed to my newsletter because December 15, 2023, I will be releasing a FREE - Mini Manifesting Masterclass, an immersive perspective for goal setting with a simple 6-step process for creating a solid and effective plan to help you get to your big vision in the most effective way possible. Insider note: the free resource mentioned in the last paragraph is a piece of step-5 ;)

Seize the time you have now to build the "New Year, New You" you are longing for. The 2024 version of you will thank you! See you in class!