2023 Will Be A Heart-Centered Year

WOW, it’s already 25 days into 2023! The new year is shooting by as fast, if not faster, than the last one, right? So let’s take a moment to    S   L   O   W      D   O   W   N.

Around the new year, many people, myself included, tend to think about how we can make the new year better than the last. Some people create elaborate vision boards, write in journals, or develop strategic plans to help stay on track. These activities can enhance our ability to achieve the goals we set, but something else can happen too. It can lead to amplified stresses and feelings of failure if the vision isn’t realized.

When things go exactly as we want or expect them to, we tend to feel accomplished, but the second that something comes up to challenge or hold us back we begin second-guessing ourselves, we stray from the plan, and feel discouraged, frustrated, stressed, and doubtful that our vision will be realized and we revert to old habits. Over 80% of all New Year’s resolutions have been broken by the 25th day of the year.

Sound familiar? Are you ready to learn how to overcome these feelings once and for all?

Okay, maybe you’re thinking, “Nothing is going to stop me now,” or maybe you’re saying “I’m a new improved version of myself, I’ll never go back!” For this, I celebrate you. I also know this is not the reality for most, but guess what? For those of you who have or will stray off the path, or are feeling frustrated, fearful, and discouraged, I’m celebrating you too!

Here’s why you should be celebrating with me.

That which inspires us to push forward AND whatever is holding us back comes from the exact same place. It comes from within our logical mind.

ALL feelings of doubt, fear, and frustration are signs that your mind is not in sync with what your heart wants and knows to be true.

Knowing these two things with 100% certainty is the answer to changing your life and unleashing the creativity inside you.

As we near the end of January, I challenge you to grab a pen and paper (journal, if you do that kind of thing) and sit down somewhere comfortable – I like to play the song A Sky Full of Stars by Coldplay while I do this, but maybe your power song is Unstoppable by Sia or Gloves Are Comin’ Off by 7kingZ.

Here’s a Spotify playlist one of my friends made:

Alright, here we go. Let’s get heart-centered together.

Close your eyes, take a few deep slow intentional breaths, then open your eyes and read on…

There’s a new day full of promise ahead of you, a blank canvas, a fresh start. You are the creator of your dreams and the master of how your life unfolds. You have the power within you to follow your creative calling.

Your dreams, determination, and fears don’t actually come from your mind alone, millions of neurons are firing in many systems in your body to decipher and develop your feelings, beliefs and identity. Activation of your heart center is required for real transformation of these things to begin.

Take another DEEP breath in and hold for a count of 5 and slowly exhale.

Repeat this till you feel calm and connected to both your heart and mind in unison. Your heart rate will slow and breathing will relax.

Think of a time when you were truly proud of yourself or witnessed someone else creating something you thought was beautiful. Maybe it’s a memory from your childhood, something you achieved in your career or family life. Perhaps it was a time when you won a contest or artistic award, or experienced something new that thrilled you.

Remember how you were breathing and what sensations were filling your body and senses. Were you smiling, jumping up and down with excitement, or feeling warm all over? Tingling sensations, dizziness, or calm? What scents and sounds were in the air? Were people cheering or laughing with you? Did you cry tears of joy?

Let the movie of your proudest moment play as you stand by and watch its beauty unfold.
(Imagine this scene playing for at least 90 seconds)

See yourself in the moment and then write down your answers to these four prompts…

1. What change or result or dream do you want to achieve in the next six months or year? What isn’t serving you in a positive way anymore? What must stop or be banished from your life, and what will that change make space for?

2. What challenges do you see ahead to make this change a reality? What’s holding you back? What’s stopping you from making this change or achieving this dream now?

3. If you don’t make this change or achieve this dream, how will that make you feel? How will your friends and family react? What will your life be like? What won’t you be able to do, have, or feel as a result? What opportunities will you miss out on?

Take a few moments and breath DEEPLY again, holding for a count of 5 and slowly exhale. .

This next prompt is the most important one and your heart and mind MUST be in sync for your authentic creativity to be realized. Deep breath in and hold for a count of 5 and slowly exhale. Repeat this till you feel calm and connected to both your heart and mind in unison. Your heart rate will lower and breathing will slow and relax.

4. Why is this change, result, or dream SO important to you? How will this change your life for the better? How will this change the lives of your family and friends? What opportunities could achieving this bring you or the people in your life?

Alright, I know these four prompts aren’t always easy to write out on your own. Drink some water, stand up and stretch, or move to another location if you get stuck at any point during this exercise.

Don’t give up now, there’s two more steps to complete my 2023 Heart-Centered Challenge.

Take another DEEP breath or two, holding for a count of 5 and slowly exhaling between each breath in.

Let your heart and mind sync up again and tap into your imagination for a few minutes.

It’s now December 2023 (11 months into the future) and you’ve achieved your dream and made the changes you needed to make. You feel it in your heart and mind, and you are proud of how far you’ve come. You can see all the challenges you overcame to get here, all the people who helped you along the way, and you see how this achievement has positively impacted you and all those around you.

On your sheet of paper or in your journal continue writing down whatever comes to mind when you read the following prompts.

5. How does it feel to achieve this goal and make this change? How has this changed your life and the lives around you? What opportunities do you see now that you didn’t see before?

Now fast forward another 5 YEARS into the future. See it like a movie playing on the screen in front of you. See your achievement’s impact on the world and people around you.

6. Having achieved this dream or goal 5 YEARS ago, what is your life like now? How does this make you feel? What opportunities can you see ahead of you now? How are others around you impacted by your transformation and achievements?

FINAL STEP! You’re almost there!

Read OUT LOUD what you wrote from beginning to end 3 times.
The first time, read it aloud in a funny voice. Second time, read it while jumping up and down or doing a silly dance, and finally, SHOUT IT OUT AS LOUD AS YOU CAN!

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If you’ve made it this far into my challenge AND you’ve followed each step as I’ve guided you here, then it’s time to CELEBRATE YOU AND YOUR AMAZING FUTURE!!!!

via GIPHY

Make sure you save what you’ve written down in a place where you can reach for it or read it whenever you are faced with a challenge or consumed with fear, or really any moment where you find you’re doubting yourself or your abilities. Reread what you wrote as often as you need till you can tap into the certainty of knowing your truth. You can also go through this exercise again and again to align your heart and mind around a specific change, goal, or challenge. This is the most powerful way to stay heart-centered and on the path to your creative calling.

My final thought as you embark on your journey from here… 

Myself and the rest of the Lucky Starz team are always ready to guide you and support you in your journey. We will work with you on this heart centering process, planning your corporate escape, redesigning your corporate culture, building your new creative lifestyle, or any aspect of coaching you want to help you make your dreams a realty.

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What does it mean to be Heart-Centered?

Heart-centered activities are practices that are believed to promote emotional well-being and a sense of connection to oneself and others. Some examples of these activities include meditation, yoga, tai chi, and deep breathing exercises. The science behind these practices suggests that they can help to reduce stress, lower blood pressure, improve heart rate variability, and increase feelings of compassion and empathy. Additionally, research has shown that regular participation in heart-centered activities can lead to changes in the brain, such as increased activity in the default mode network, which is associated with self-reflection and empathy.

What are the benefits of Heart-Centered Living?

• Reduces stress levels
• Heart rates normalize and blood pressure lowers
• Eases feelings of burnout
• Enhances experiences of intimacy
• Reduces conflicts with self and others
• Allows creativity to flow freely
• Relaxes tension throughout the body
• Stimulates imagination and cognitive abilities
• Inspires compassion and empathy within
• Increases your capacity to heal yourself
• and more

There are many other benefits and a ton of research on this activity, here are a few resources that you might like:

10 Benefits of Heart-Centered Living, by Ed Rubenstein, Ph.D., HBI’s Director of Education
Are You Ready to Live a Heart-Centered Life? by Sandra Pawula at Always Well Within
The Heart-Centered Life and It’s Significance by Alina Boyte Founder of the Changemaker Institute