Bridging the Mindset Gap
How to get from where you are to where you want to be in 2023
“The new year stands before us, like a chapter in a book, waiting to be written.”
Melody Beattie
“The best way to predict the future is to create it.”
Abraham Lincoln
I love the metaphor of a bridge as we move forward in life, because I always feel like I’m leaving something I don’t need behind and going on into new adventures when I cross one. This wintery bridge in the evening lamplight in the picture above looks particularly enchanting, don’t you think?
The new year is either an opportunity to keep moving in the direction of your dreams or a chance for a fresh start filled with infinite possibilities.
Either way, with the right mindset, you win!
Here’s a year-end reflection visualization exercise to help you bridge the mindset gap between this year and next. Get your journal ready and let’s begin.
Mindful year-end reflection visualization exercise:
Sit up tall in your chair with your spine straight and your feet firmly touching the floor. Feel your body where it connects to the surface beneath you. Make any adjustments you need to be as comfortable as possible. Take three (or more) slow, deep breaths and try to let go of your thoughts.
Once you are feeling calm, visualize yourself walking across an old wooden bridge in the softly falling evening snow. The golden lanterns ahead are beckoning you forward.
On the other side of the bridge, you see a cozy-looking cabin with fireplace smoke billowing from the chimney just up ahead. Go to the cabin and open the door.
There is a comfortable chair waiting for you by the fire. You sit down and feel warm, relaxed and very safe. There’s a gentle fire burning in the fireplace.
As you sit staring at the logs burning in the fireplace, you begin to see images of all the things you’ve done, people you’ve connected with, and places you’ve been over the past year. Notice the feelings in your body as you look at these images. What would you like to keep? What would you like to change? Make a mental note and then let those images fade.
Return your attention to your breath. Breathe in and out, slowly and evenly and then begin to notice the fire again. Now visualize your ideal year to come. What do you see yourself doing? Who are you with? Where are you? How does your body feel as you see yourself in these images? Again, make a mental note and let the images fade.
7. When you’re ready, open your eyes and come back to the room you are in. Pick up your journal or sheets of loose paper and pen and begin writing. Write non-stop until you have filled at least one full page. It doesn’t matter what you write, and it doesn’t have to be perfect. Just write.
8. Once you’ve written one (or more!) pages, stop and have a look at what you wrote. Circle any words or phrases that stand out to you. Ask yourself, “What do I mean by this?” and continue writing. If anything seems unclear, keep asking yourself “what” or “why” until you’ve uncovered what you really mean.
As you reflect on this visualization and writing exercise, what teeny, tiny turtle steps can you start taking today towards your goals? Martha Beck, in her book The Way of Integrity also refers to these steps as one degree turns. She suggests making a list of five things you plan to do today, a list of five things you plan to do tomorrow, and a list of five things you plan to do this year. What amount of time do you want to spend on each item? Notice that there may be a difference on what time you plan to spend versus what you want to spend. If there is a difference, she suggests making one degree turns and spending ten minutes a day less on the things you don’t want to do and filling that time with what you actually do want to do.
Finally, I invite you to ask yourself, “What support do I need on this journey”? Don’t let yourself swim in confusion (i.e., “I don’t know where to start”). Ask yourself what you need to get started and then take that first little step, make that one degree turn.
What’s across the bridge for you in 2023?
Happy New Year!
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I’d love to hear from you so please send any comments or questions to me at sharon@sharonashtonmindfulyoga.com. Feel free to share this email with anyone else who may be interested.
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What is stopping you from living your best life? Get out your journal and a pen and take the new quiz on my website to find out:
Are you interested in learning more about life change & mindset coaching from a mind/body perspective? Please email me at sharon@sharonashtonmindfulyoga.com for more information or to schedule a free introductory consultation to see if coaching is right for you. You can also visit my website coaching page.
"I felt at complete ease with Sharon from our first conversation. She has a wonderful, gentle but firm way that made me focus on my thoughts / feelings so I could remove / change to move forward with a completely different feeling to what felt like obstacles. It was great having regular coaching that gently kept me accountable to actioning and moving towards my goals. Sharon has vast experience in so many areas, I felt that makes her an amazing coach.”
— Michelle Carney, East Galway, Ireland
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