Four gentle ways to meet your New Year vision

Starting the New Year with your crisp fresh journal and pen and sitting down to write down your resolutions....only to have forgotten about them by February.

Sound familiar?

I too have many first pages of journals filled with long forgotten resolutions.

But, as I started on my holistic wellness path many years ago, I started to create New Year rituals that have developed over the years and they are now my go-to for a soft start to the year.

A start filled with compassion and time to reflect and tune in to what my soul really needs....not what the world thinks I need.

And I'm going to share 4 practices with you to help you start the New Year softly:

1. Vision Board how you want your year to look and feel.

This is perfect to give you a visual 'roadmap' for your year ahead. The process itself can be so nourishing and I highly suggest you take the time to come back to your board over the next few months. But first, how to start!

Collect some magasines, a pair of scissors, glue and some cardboard (I like to use A2) and spend some time looking through what you've got and noticing what stands out to you.. It might be an image of friends gathered around a table if you're yearning for more connection. Or perhaps it's an image of someone at a pottery wheel if you're priority is to carve out some time for a new hobby.

Then it's time to start arranging the images and words on your background - there's no right or wrong here so allow your creativity to blossom! The final stage is to stick your arrangment on, but know that you can add to it at any time. You can find my tips on what to do with your vision board here.

2. Make a More / Less board

There's a trend of making an 'In / Out' list for the year, but I personally find it a bit too rigid. I much prefer Julia Rothman's idea of making a More/Less list for your year...It feels much for flexible and softer, almost with the feeling of it not mattering if you falter a little. I love Juli'a illustrated version and I spent ten minutes this year making my own (which I highly recommend). It's now next to my Vision Board on my desk as a gentle reminder for the year. Spending only ten minutes on it was also lovely as there's no chance to overthink! Some of what's on my list for this year is:

MORE meditation, collaborations and reading

LESS clutter, sugar and scrolling on my phone.

3. Make a '26 in 26 list'

Write down 26 experiences you'd love to have this year. A little bit like goals, but I see these as much more specific, eg. Learn how to salsa (or any other new hobby!), Read 20 books, Set up my newsletter etc.

4. Journal

There's nothing cosier (in my opinion) for winter time than spending an evening on the sofa, with a cuppa and a candle lit, reflecting on last year and getting clear on your vision for 2026. To help you with this, I've created Vision From Within, a free journalling guide with 12 soulful prompts to help you gently get clear on your path ahead for the year. Get your copy here.

As with most things, there's no right way to create your vision. Personally, I've done a mix of all of the above this year and I've found it really nourishing. If you'd like to come to my next Vision Board workshop on 27th January, you can find more details here.