Happy Year of the Miracle!

As with the years past, this is the year I plan to get serious about blogging. (This is the most basic plan I set in placed for every new year, and I've failed more times than I can currently count.) 2018 is going to be a special year for me and my family, so I want to break this down and talk to you all about something that is personal to me.

Consider this an investment in my relationship with you, as my reader. I'm about to lay my "crazy" out there on the line. Get ready.

Everything will change this year. Come along to enjoy the ride!
(Source CC BY)

What Is "The Year Of The Miracle?"

To be honest with you, I'm surprised that more of our friends and family haven't asked. 

Money has always been difficult for my family. Between job loss, housing instability, and food insecurity, my husband and I have struggled throughout our fourteen years together. It's been a plague in more ways than one. It even crossed our minds that there might be a spiritual cause for our distress, and we've considered the possibility that we were "attracting" these negative experiences (the Law of Attraction does work both ways!).

I'm not a great keeper of records (one of my goals for the coming year, as you'll read below), but to the best of my recollection, I first said it toward the end of 2012, right around the holiday season. I said "Within five years, all of this is going to be over."

And I kept saying it, only the time span got smaller and smaller. "Within four years, all of this is going to be over" and "in about three years we're going to be in our dream house." 

I can't say with certainty whether I first said it as a precognition of things to come (I've been known to predict things before they can happen) or if it was my attempt to make the Law of Attraction work for me for the first time (I am inclined toward pragmatism, so setting a deadline made sense to my mind, even if it's a spiritual pitfall).

The reasons don't matter. 

By October of 2017 it had smacked me in the face: The Miracle was coming, and it was coming fast. Every morning I wake up with a heavy, comforting weight of awareness in my chest and belly: Good things are coming, and they're coming fast.

The remarkable thing is that in the past year, my family has found financial stability we've never known before. In spite of some remaining housing instability (which one might think is typical given that we're hoping to be in our dream home by the end of 2018). Things are already happening. This year sets into motion something incredible, and I can't wait to see what it brings.

This is our year of the miracle. Expect great things!
(Source CC BY-SA)

I plan to use this blog to track the "Year of the Miracle" as much as possible to keep you up to date on the progress of this precognition and the steps that we've taken to make it happen.

If my progress can help you, all the better!

Learning to Enjoy the New Year

I have a terrible tendency to make a lot of promises (most of them to myself) that I wind up not being able to keep. This is usually due to mental health considerations. Depression leads to exhaustion and exhaustion leads to a lack of follow-through on my part. It's a vicious cycle and things that need to get done don't get done. 

This year, I prepared. I want to share with you exactly what I did to get ready for this upcoming year. Don't worry, I'll be talking a lot in the coming year about these steps, so you'll have the opportunity to follow along with me and my journey.

First, I bought a few things. I'm not going to lie: I spent quite a bit of money. I'm going to link you to the items that I purchased. I recommend each of these and encourage you to purchase them. I've included some information about the reasons that I encourage you to purchase this item to help keep yourself on track.

The Supplies For The Year Of The Miracle (Stay Tuned!)

• Rituals for Living Dreambook - I recommend the Rituals for Living Dreambook because of how it has guided me through figuring out what I really want. It's helped me to separate my goals from the goals that I feel I'm supposed to have, or that others have for me. In fact, it's helped me to drop some of the dead weight I've been carrying emotionally and to let go of attachments. I would also highly recommend Brianna and Peter Borten's The Well Life.
• Erin Condren Life Planner** - The Erin Condren is a tricky one. Personally, I love this planner, but it's pricey, and there are less expensive alternatives (such as the Happy Planner). Planners are a highly individual choice, and I encourage you to choose and purchase the one that works best for you. I love the Erin Condren because of the weight of the paper, the personalization, and the choices that I have with this planner. I won't deny that I dislike the price point. I've spent $100 on planners alone (I have one of each style), and that's not including accessories and stickers. Make the choice that's right for you!
• Leuchtturm 1917* - I have the dotted journal, but you can purchase these lined, dotted or blank. I believe there is also a gridded version. Of all of the blank books I've purchased as a connoisseur of stationery, this book gives me tingles every time I pick it up. It lays flat, and the dots make it perfect for bullet journaling (if you're into that. It doesn't work for me!). The paper is high quality and it doesn't bleed through when I write in it. I use mine for journaling and written affirmations. I have two of these.
• Staedtler Triplus Fineliners* - I absolutely love these pens. I'm not much of an artist -- I don't draw, and I only paint by numbers. When I first bought these it was because I intended to use them for bullet journaling. They have turned into my go-to, however, for anything that I need to color-code. These pens are among the best that you can get for this purpose and they work great with the Leuchtturm. (They aren't so great in the Dreambook, however, so bear this in mind. I use ball points in that book.)
• Composition Books - I won't link to these because I feel that the online price is elevated, but you should be able to purchase them in any local office supply store (and they ought to be an inexpensive option). These are for daily written affirmations and tarot journaling. (If you're interested in Tarot, I'll be doing a blog chronicling my year in the tarot as well. Keep an eye out for it!)
• Luxcraft Rolling Scrapbook Tote* - I bought one of these for Michelle as a Christmas gift and fell in love with it, so promptly purchased one for myself. Those who know me know that I love to craft, but that I tend to be a disorganized mess when it comes to my crafting supplies. My first thought was that this would allow me to organize my sewing materials (it has tons of compartments), but I realized quickly that I needed a portable option for storing my journals as well. They won't all fit in my purse (and I really only need one and a mini planner in my purse anyway) so this is a good alternative for storage for me. This particular option is inexpensive for its quality. I'm impressed with it!

On Friday I plan to go through each of these items for you individually and demonstrate the way that I use them for my planning and blogging. Stay tuned for that if you're interested in seeing how the system all works together (and why I have two Lifeplanners)!

Planning to Succeed

Well, let me be honest: I'm not sure yet that it will create prosperity. What I know for certain is that I'm having a ton of fun with the process (and that's the point, at least for me). This system has allowed me to let go of expectations and to enjoy what I'm doing in the here and now. That's what this blog is all about.

That, and helping others to grow alongside me. If prosperity is a result, then I recognize that result comes through my readers, who I love.

However, I'm working with a system (and I'll be talking a lot about that system as the next few weeks go by).

Each of the planners or journals has its own, separate purpose. I use each for something different. (I want to make this clear, as running more than one planner or journal can be overwhelming).

I want you to be encouraged to use the planning system that works the best for you! Explore your options.

First, I started out with the Rituals for Living Dreambook. This book allowed me to map out what I wanted for life. I filled out the beginning sections (a questionnaire intended to set intentions for the year) and then laid out my goals and plans for the year. There's space for mind-mapping (but I'll admit that I didn't get to it before 2017 ended -- I'll get there before the month is out though!) and for breaking down goals into plans and plans into steps.

I love this because the book is a combination of dreaming, setting intentions, and planning the roadmap to reach them.

(I purchased the Dreambook without the planner for 2018, purchasing the undated 2017 version since the 2018 version wasn't available at the time of purchase. The 2018 version is even better!)

This book began last year to become part of my annual planning ritual. I'll talk more about this on Friday, but I encourage you to try it out!

Then, enticed by the photos and Youtube videos of stickers, I purchased the Erin Condren Life Planner. I chose the horizontal and only later discovered that the stickers I'd purchased (by the brand) didn't fit into the horizontal. Still craving stickers, I purchased the vertical planner as well (which will fit the stickers). Later I decided I preferred a minimalist style. I'm nothing if not indecisive! 

I'll be using each of these two planners in different ways. The horizontal planner is to be used for memory keeping, photographs, and tracking of important information (how much I'm reading, sewing, exercising, weight loss, and so on). This is essentially my "journal" to keep track of important details that have already happened.

The vertical planner will be used for planning tasks that I need to accomplish throughout the month, week, or day, as well as for keeping track of birthdays and other details where some action is expected from me. I'll also be using the vertical planner for inspiration and to remind myself to think positively. (Erin Condren stickers are excellent for this purpose, though they are pricey.)

I have two Leuchtturms at my disposal. Both are to be used for journaling purposes. I expect to go through one about every three months (maybe less). One is a backup to the other, and I may wind up transferring my tarot journal into one of the Leuchtturms (depending on how useful the journaling process winds up being).

Finally, I have three composition books. One is a backup, one is to be used for the initial tarot journal, and the third is to be used for daily written affirmations (another thing I'll mention a lot on this blog).

(My gratitude journal is part of the Dreambook, so I don't currently keep a separate journal for that.)

This is a lot of work just for planning, but I've noticed in the past that if I don't break down the work into manageable tasks, the work doesn't get done.

Dreams For 2018

I'll be talking a lot about Dreaming (capital D is for emphasis here) over the coming year, and you'll soon see how important it is to me. I feel that it's a good idea to write down the things that are the most important to us, so let me tell you a bit about what I'm dreaming of in 2018. 

These are the things that I want for myself in the coming year.

• end the year with three blogs
  - Enjoy the Ride (my journal through self-awareness and personal development/planning)
  - Tis the Season (a yuletide blog dedicated to all things holidays)
  - A Year in the Tarot (my journey through the tarot with information about decks & meanings)
• end the year living in our dream home
• end the year with financial security and six figures in the family bank account
• end the year 100 pounds lighter than I started it

One thing I've come to believe (as a person who believes in real magic) is that sometimes the dream is more important than the process of achieving the dream. Sometimes we have to 'set it and forget it.' This can be difficult, but I've done it for the past several years. My time has been focused on visualizing the outcomes that I want and letting inspiration strike at "the right moment." 

I knew that once inspiration hit, I'd be ready to begin the planning and the process. It came a bit later than I had hoped, but the true inspiration is in the 365 Days of Yule blog. Don't worry; I'm sure you'll hear a lot about that in the coming months, too!

So, what's with the process?

I'm Dreaming Big in the Year of the Miracle!
(Source CC BY-SA)

Turning Dreams Into Goals

I wrote in November about how to use goals in the new year (instead of resolutions). (Then I promptly lost the vision of where I was going and had to regroup.)

The process I outlined above has given me the freedom and peace to know what needs to be done every week. I'll be writing three blogs simultaneously (one which is co-authored with my husband and partner), so I need to stay organized to keep on top of postings.

My goals for 2018 look like this:

• maintain three blogs (with readership)
• read 20+ books throughout the year (and track them)
• lose 100 pounds
• establish a savings account

The big dream for 2018 is to move into our Dream Home. This is something over which I have little control, as our Dream Home is not currently on the market! Therefore, I have left it off of my goals.

Breaking Goals Into Plans

Now that my goals are written down, I will turn those goals into plans. In the interests of maintaining good habits, however, I set my plans quarterly, monthly, and weekly (all thanks to the Rituals for Living Dreambook!) 

For example, this week's plans are as follows:

• write every day (even if I don't publish that day)
• three blog posts in Enjoy the Ride (Monday, Wednesday, Friday)
  (I hope to work this into a pattern!)
• two blog posts in Tis the Season (Tuesday and Thursday)
• three blog posts in A Year of Tarot (Monday, Wednesday and Friday)
• one "professional" article for this week
• daily reading (right now I'm reading Merry and Bright* by Debbie Macomber)
• daily (written) affirmations

(I'll be honest, that's a lot more writing than I'd planned on doing, and it's going to take some commitment on my part!

I'll let you know next week how I kept up with these goals, but for right now, I'm excited!

Tell me in the comments: What are your big dreams for 2018? Is this going to be your best year ever?

* I make a small commission on the sale of this item.

** This is a referral link. I will receive a discount if you make a purchase. So will you!