By Fran Sussman 

It’s time, again, to re-evaluate, clarify and see how to best express your purpose and passion after the changes of the past year. Here’s a list I’ve developed to help me. I hope it helps you too.

1. Two-minute journal: Each morning, write just a few words about your intention for the day. Each evening, write one thing for which you’re grateful. No need to come up with new and different things each day, just what’s true for you. Shaping your life with this perspective can change everything.

2. Kindness: It can be so simple and make such a difference in someone’s day. And it has a way of boomeranging back to you, too. So tell someone “thank you” or “you look nice today”; hold a door open; check in with someone who’d be happy to hear from you ... you get the idea.

3. Self-kindness. Most of the clients I see, especially women, take care of everyone else and never get to themselves. Put yourself on the priority list. In fact, put yourself at the top of the priority list. I love the airplane model: put your own oxygen mask on first. Get too depleted and you’re no use to anyone. So learn to take care of yourself.

4. Re-evaluate: Surprise yourself. Think of your life as a blank slate, and let yourself imagine how you want to fill it. Where is your passion? What do you yearn for? Even if you end up in the same place, your relationship to it, your feeling about it, may be different.

5. Cultivate optimism: It’s good for your health: body, mind and spirit.

6. Move: Moving a little each hour is actually more beneficial to your health than sitting all day and having brief periods of intense exercise. Walk, shake, bend, twist -- but get off your butt!

7. Hydrate: Drink more water. Bored? Add lemon, cucumber, basil, mint or a drop of essential oils.

8. Eat real food: You really can’t go wrong by decreasing processed packaged products and eating more meat, fish, poultry, eggs, lots of veggies and a little bit of fruit.

9. Develop a practice: It doesn’t matter what -- yoga, meditation, journaling, walking. What matters is a) Showing up, i.e., doing it regularly without excuses and b) Dropping anchor, i.e., leaving time each day for quiet without distractions.

10. Effort and grace: Not everything is within our control, but we need to do our part. If you show up for your life and live what you know and believe, you create the best possible circumstances for success in any endeavor.

For more information on Essential contact me @CherylKleffer.com  or @ReNewOils.net

Cheryl@CherylKleffer.com