A New Year’s Ritual for You…
I love New Year’s Eve! Do you? This year it’s 123123. How fun is that?
The New Year brings with it a blank slate, a sense of “anything’s possible” and lots of hope and anticipation about the future. It feels fresh, new, and squeaky clean! 2023 has been another wild ride…we’ve been saying that for 3 years now, eh?
Did you have a word of the year this past year? How did it manifest for you?
My personal theme for this past year was “Surrender to the Divine Flow.” Boy, did I have to do that. I thought 2022 was challenging with navigating a divorce and a move but this year continued to be insanely overwhelming with a major house flood, the death of two parents (my birthmom and her husband) and a near-death car accident that had me sidelined from the real world, focused primarily on my healing, for four months. But despite all of the major challenges, I have much to celebrate.
The Sacred Celebrations book was FINALLY published in November with GracePoint Publishing and has been selling well! I’ve been invited as a guest on several podcasts–including three international ones!–and it has received rave reviews including this one from the Midwest Review:
With clarity, honesty, and revealing tenderness, Barbour translates her experience for readers who can then glimpse the actual impact and meaning that rituals hold… Ideally, Sacred Celebrations shouldn’t be limited to spirituality or new age collections (which will be its most likely audience), but will be incorporated into general-interest libraries and selected for book club and discussion groups from all walks of life, from spirituality to psychology circles. More so than most books about celebrations, Sacred Celebrations translates the act and ritual of healing to everyday life, making it a top recommendation for libraries seeking a wider-ranging approach to better living.
– D. Donovan, Sr. Reviewer, Midwest Book Review
I celebrated 23 years in business and continue to adore the coaching clients I’m privileged to serve. Several have been with me for many years. In one full circle moment, my very first coach hired ME (she left the coaching profession a long time ago) to help HER with some life transitions. What an honor!
My newly reconfigured family is something I’m proud of. Riley is thriving in her new middle school and excelling in her involvement in theatre. We continue to spend a lot of time with Eric doing family things. We are living proof that divorce can be positive and loving and supportive for all.
Speaking of family…as devastating as it’s been to lose our mother, the silver lining in it all is the renewed bonds and deeper connections that I have forged with my three siblings. We’ve had a lot of heart-to-heart conversations and knowing them in this new way has been a great joy in my life.
And how about you? What does your year-in-review look like?
The days before the New Year are often a bit quieter and are a wonderful time to review your year—celebrate the highlights, learn from the lowlights, and then say “bye-bye” and leave it all in the dust as the clock strikes midnight and you get to start all over again.
My New Year’s Ritual invitation to you is simple.
Claim some quiet time—maybe 30 minutes or an hour.
Make yourself a cup of tea.
Grab a pen and a journal.
Sit in your favorite chair by the fireplace (or out by the pool depending on where you live! Ha!)
Review, Reflect, and Write!
Here are a few questions that I invite you to consider. You can write these for yourself or discuss them with your partner, children, best friend, or coach.
2023 in Review
What were your personal highlights from 2023?
What were your professional highlights from 2023?
What gave you a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction?
What challenged you, stretched you, and invited you to grow?
What did you learn about yourself?
What are you ready to let go of?
Looking Ahead to 2024
What is your theme for the New Year?
How would you like to FEEL in 2024?
How do you want to GROW in 2024?
What new experiences would you like to have?
What systems for success do you need to put in place to achieve your goals?
What do you want to celebrate on Dec. 31, 2024?
Bonus Ritual Suggestion: Write the things you’re ready to let go of from this past year and write it on a separate sheet of paper and then burn it! You can throw it on a fire or burn it in a Pyrex bowl on your back deck. As you release these old things (limiting beliefs, sad or stuck memories, heavy grief), thank them for their service and invite them to be transmuted into more positive energy to free you up for the year ahead!
Feel free to leave a comment and share with me the answers to these so I can cheer you on into the New Year. And of course, if you’re ready to start working with a coach in 2024 to make your dreams come true, book a call, and let’s get started!
Happy New Year! May 2024 bring abundant blessings to you and yours!
Elizabeth
P.S. One final THANK YOU for your support with the product side of Sacred Celebrations. Many of you have ordered gifts for your loved ones this holiday season and I’ve adored preparing jewelry and ritual kits and now books for you! Grateful for you, as always.
P.P.S. If you have read my book and happen to have a quiet moment and would be willing to write a review on Amazon, that will help other readers to know what gems they can glean from the book! Those reviews are SO IMPORTANT for indie authors like me! Thank you!