Here we are on the edge once more – the space between this year and the next, preparing to enter 2017. I like to take this time to explore my what if’s and crazy ideas and set intentions for the coming year. It’s something I encourage my clients to do as well.

In my coaching practice, clients tell me about the things they desire, what they dream of being and doing, and usually that idea is followed by all the but’s and because’s as to why it isn’t possible; all the reasons they can’t. For example, a client may want to leave her current job to work in a flower shop, ‘but’ she says she needs to pay her bills and so it seems like a completely crazy idea, outside the realm of possibility. Many of us hold the belief that we can’t do what makes us happy, what we love, and still support ourselves so we don’t allow ourselves to fully explore our ideas. I was once stuck in this same pattern of beliefs too. When we start to loosen our beliefs, we can begin to understand that all the reasons we think we can’t are tied up in our thoughts about how things went in the past or what might go wrong in the future. What about the present? What could we do right now to move towards our intentions?

Walt Disney said, “If you can dream it, you can do it.” Let’s say, I’m dreaming about having an apple pie. An oversimplification perhaps, but indulge me if you will. I don’t have any apply pie in this present moment, yet I can imagine how it smells baking, the cinnamon and apples wafting through the house. I imagine the sweetness of the filling and the flakiness of the crust on my tongue; how wonderful it is to eat this slice of sweet, deliciousness. Is your mouth watering?? Good! That’s desire…connecting with the feeling of what you want. It is the beginning of everything we create in life. If I see there are no apples in the house and believe I can’t have pie, then so it is. But, what if I allow myself to explore all the possibilities? What if I go buy apples and make a pie? What if I have someone make it for me? What if I buy a pie from the store? And, there is always the possibility that someone will bring one for me, maybe as a gift or a thank you. What if I call some friends and family and ask if they have some left over from the holiday? The thing is, the pie can only come into my reality if I’ve created it in my mind first.

What are your what if’s and crazy ideas for 2017 and beyond? What do you want to create? How do you want to transform your life? What do you want to explore, to get curious about? Apple pies are a rather simple thing to create. Personal transformation takes courage and trust in oneself. It takes the desire to become curious about beliefs and patterns in order to make a shift in consciousness, and self-compassion when faced with fear and doubt. There is a divine plan for each of us and we do a disservice to the world if we aren’t exploring and expressing our unique gifts. So what’s your what if? And, what if the craziest idea yet is that taking the smallest step to begin towards what you desire is as easy as apple pie?

Happy New Year…happy trails!
Elaine

Dear Beautiful Wild Woman…are you ready to set your intentions for 2017? Join me and fellow life coach Lori Giuttari on January 7th to Find Your Magic! You can register here