We look to the new year with hope. A promise of dreams and desires being fulfilled, with a hope to leave the past behind. However, what if we looked at our past present and future as just another opportunity, not what it was or might be just what is, here and now, without looking toward the future enjoy the moment with a spirit of adventure.

What We Know for Sure…

Now, we know that we have more knowledge now than we did in 2015 because of all of the things that happened over the year so you know more, your smarter than you were a year ago and you have more information to ride the new adventure with purpose and taking control of the direction. Here are some ideas to assist you on your journey.

1.   Communication

Communication is one of our most powerful tools that we have. It enables us and disable us depending on how we use it. Communication can help relationships thrive, family’s and communities to evolve.

The simplicity of it is that 80% of communication is not the words you say, but how you make someone feel when you do what you do. This is a fact on so many levels consciously and unconsciously.

The single biggest problem in Communication is the illusion that it has taken place – George Bernard Shaw

To communicate effectively, we must first be a good listener it is also the hardest.

2. Listen

is a powerful skill and to hear is even harder as we will only hear what we want to hear, and that is made up of our interpretation of our past. Sometimes we can operate on an auto pilot, tied up in our own worlds to even do the listening and hearing, there is too much going on in our head to hear it. Enhancing your listen skill will help you thrive for your future, and it takes practice. Listening is a challenge so, if you are already a good listener then keep doing it and test it more and more.

Listen to what is going on in your mind when we learn to listen to it your inner voice and the chatter you can be comfortable in your own space. What is the story you are telling yourself and what is the tone, is it an old communication of the past, is it true? Is it serving you? Is it a broken record that keeps telling you negative stories that stop you from being your true self.

“Listen with curiosity, speak with honesty and act with integrity. The greatest problem with communication is that we do not listen to understand. We listen to reply. When we listen with curiosity, we do not listen with the intent to reply we listen for what is behind the words” Roy T. Bennett.

To respond rather than react is a practised skill that will change the way you experience the world around you. To respond to the world is to be mindful or how you are affecting those around you and noticing and allowing for change to occur. Listening is powerful. When we learn to accept and allow other people’s models of the world to be heard it changes the outcome and expectations tied to it. Communication is in the response how you respond to the world around you rather than react.

2.   Freedom

Freedom is more of a value than a skill to be practiced. However, the value is where the gold is. I value freedom of doing the work I love, but in doing so, freedom asks you boldly “what are you willing to give up to gain your freedom?” To change something, we must let go of what we use to do, have or be to experience something like freedom.

“The most important freedom is to be who you really are. You trade in your self for a reality your create, a role-play that you decide is expected of you. To play a role that is not you and only exists in your imagination. When we finally discover a friend in ourselves we release our true wild spirit of adventure.” – Linda McCall

Freedom can be simply in our minds, and you may be a prisoner of your own mind. You have forgone freedom out of fear or the need for safety; this is real too.

“You want to fly; you got to give up the shit that weighs you down”- Toni Morrison, Song of Solomon

Freedom has its own meaning for each of us and the freedom to have a spirit of adventure comes from the curiosity of; how can I experience my life differently? How can I add value to the world around me? Moreover, how can I experience more freedom daily?

By letting go, we can gain. Through detachment of the outcome, we can experience freedom. Are you giving yourself permission to be free and have fun.

“Expose yourself to your deepest fear; after that, fear has no power and the fear of freedom shrinks and vanishes. You are free”- Jim Morrison.

3.   Flexibility

It has been said that the measure of a person’s strengths is not his muscular power or strength, but it is his flexibility and adaptability.This statement by Debashish Mridha is powerful and true in so many respects.

Flexibility is physical and mental; flexibility or lack thereof is limiting if we are flexible we forgive if we forgive we are open if we are open we can receive.

Flexibility is freedom to move to dance to try new things and to flex that spirit of adventure.

“The measure of intelligence is the ability to change” – Albert Einstein

Yoga has taught me that flexibility is mindfulness practice and most of all about the breath.

“Develop flexibility and you will be firm; cultivate yielding and you will be strong.” – Liezi

4.   Courage

Have the courage to let go of the past. The game has changed and you must adjust to the understand how you will play it out.

“courage is the most import of all virtues because without courage, you can’t practice any other virtue consistently.” – Maya Angelou

Have the courage to be yourself. That is the truest of your spirit of adventure. Embrace it with vigour and ride that pony! Have to courage to unveil the façade to see yourself as a wild and wonderful human you truly are and express it with enriching experiences and challenges.

“You cannot swim for new horizons until you have the courage to lose sight of the shores” – William Faulkner

Have the courage to dream big.

“Life Shrinks or expands in proportion to ones courage” – Anais Nin

5.   Commitment

Be committed to your truth, standing in your truth.

“Desire is the key to motivation, but it’s determination and commitment to an unrelenting pursuit of your goals – a commitment to excellence- that will enable you to attain the success you seek.”- Mario Andretti

Be committed to mapping out some goals and outcomes what I like to describe as your intentions and adventures. Because it is your intention to take the new adventures, and in your intention, you hold the power of fulfilling that of what you desire to achieve the most in business and in life.

6.   Enthusiasm

Engage the emotions that enhance the intention to grow, to thrive and laugh, be playful and dance and have fun.

Give yourself permission to have fun in business and in life and inject a dose of enthusiasm into everything you do. See life through the eyes of a child seeing it with wonder for the first time.

“The secret to genius is to carry the spirit of the child into old age, which means never losing your enthusiasm.”- Aldous Huxley

If you can’t find the enthusiasm, then use your super power of visualization think of a time in the past that felt those feels and make sure it is a specific time “remember that time when….? then think of that specific time in the past you have that feeling of enthusiasm and remember that time now, feel the feelings of how it felt to have it now.

success consist of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm – Winston Churchill.

7.   Adventure

Most importantly have a spirit of adventure. This is your absolute commitment to taking the journey without the knowing of absolute outcomes but trusting you can.

“The biggest adventure you can take is to live the life of your dreams” – Opera Winfrey

Feed your adventurous soul and do the stuff that blows your hair back.

Do something a little bit scary so that you are pushing your boundaries a little every day and expanding your awareness of self and others.

“It’s time to say goodbye, but I think goodbyes are sad and I’d much rather say hello. Hello to a new adventure- Ernie Harwell

With this, I bid you hello and welcome to your new adventure for 2017.

Remember you don’t have to go on the adventure on your own you can engage a coach to guide you, just like a guided planned tour that you would engage when in foreign lands when on holidays.

Remember to celebrate your achievements acknowledge them and learn from the mistakes, it’s all in the learning and it’s all good no matter how it looks on the surface.