Life Coaching Session: How To Make 2016 Your Year

Take 2016 by the horns and totally win, with a little help from Life Coach Lydia Kimmerling

You know you’re reaching a turning point in your cynical existence when the idea of a happiness retreat in Ibiza sounds good. More than good in fact, potentially life-changing – and sometimes you need to impose an intervention, on yourself. In my case because I was being an unashamedly miserable twat.

So, I took myself off to Ibiza – in itself a miracle being that I hate hippies, day glo and dance music. But arriving at the beautiful villa for that weekend’s seminars I felt oddly relaxed from the welcome drink and having a chakra bracelet tied on me. Maybe the hippies are on to something? Chakra-me the fuck up (does swearing negate positive energy?) What followed over the weekend was an intensive course led by Life Coach Lydia Kimmerling in how to – essentially - regain your sense of self. That sounds like a weird, abstract notion, but in our increasingly frantic, distracting, mindless world, it’s really easy to lose sight of yourself (your health, your mind, what you want.)

I can truly say, that the weekend gave me a time out to pause reflect and essentially sort my shit out. Three months later, I’m still all over it. By that I mean, moodboarding, planning and setting my intentions. It's powerful stuff - which is why I’ve asked Lydia to share her ways to take 2016 and absolutely slay it.

How to make 2016 your best year yet - exclusive tips by Lydia Kimmerling

1.Get Listy “If you can’t figure out what you want to happen for 2016, writing a list of what you don’t want can be easier and will help you find clarity on what you do want. What you do want will be the opposite to what you don’t want. Remember to not focus on what you don’t want though, just use this as a tool to shed light on what you actually want.”

2. Look back “Reflect on what really worked for you in 2015 and what didn’t work well for you. Draw a line down the middle of an A4 page and make a list of what went well and what didn’t. Look for good and bad behaviour patterns. If you want more success in 2016, repeat the behaviour that bought you success in 2015 and avoid repeating the behaviour that didn’t.”

3. Pick only 3 goals “Choose three big goals that you really want to see happen in 2016 and write them down in as much detail as possible. Then choose three close friends to intentionally share those goals with in a conversation. Saying what you want out loud, makes you feel more comfortable with it and holds you more accountable towards taking action.”

4. Involve your pals “Invite your girlfriends over for a planning party. Get your favourite stationary together and a large piece of paper each to plan on. Do a spider diagram for the five key areas of life; money, health, social life; Career and Love then brainstorm all that you desire to see happen in those areas. Then when you are all done, take it in turn to talk about what you have written down. Sharing your desires with each other allows you all to encourage one another and support each other moving forward. 5. Think deep “Set yourself a 14 day meditation challenge, and focus specifically on making 2016 your year. Anything over 10 minutes a day works – you don’t have to zone out for hours. Just schedule the time into your diary so that you can’t talk yourself out of it and dedicate a space in your home that you will meditate in. Then before each meditation write down the question: 'What do I need to do to make 2016 my year?' ten times, say it out loud ten times and then in your head ten times. After this just sit peacefully to see what comes up for you. Make notes after each session and then after the 14 days go back over your notes to find clarity and insight.” 6. Get it in writing “Send an email to three of your friends asking them what they think you should go for in 2016, how they think you hold yourself back and what you need to do to overcome that.”

7. Create a vision board “Book a Friday night in and instead of buying a bottle of wine at a bar, buy a selection of magazines. Put your favourite playlist on and then flick through the magazines pulling out images that inspire and excite you or relate to what you want for 2016. Then stick them in any order you desire onto a large piece of paper and place your moodboard somewhere you can see it daily.”

8. Post it