Hope you had a wonderful, relaxing holiday season spent with family and friends. Katie and I are enjoying the last few days of her winter break. Or at least I am. Since Christmas, my daughter has been asking me every day to wake her up early so she can go to school and see Tammy and Mr. F. If only it were that easy to schedule the kind of day you wanted!

While Katie kills time before returning to school, we’ve been cooking and clearing out clutter, rearranging furniture and recycling old clothes. For some reason I always get the urge to organize at this time of year and I’m indulging in it to the fullest during these few “additional” days of vacation.

Perhaps this drive to tidy my house is due to the fact that I’m feeling very clean and light emotionally. I released a slew of emotional baggage on New Year’s Eve at a Release Ceremony hosted by a local shaman and healer. I’ve attended this ceremony a few times in the past, and it’s such a positive and nurturing way to close out the old year and ring in the new. I always make at least one interesting personal discovery in the course of this exercise. This year I realized that I fear my power. I’ve spent years, maybe decades, afraid that no one will love or accept me if I truly use my gifts and let my light shine.

I’ve also been carrying a tremendous amount of fear and anxiety regarding Katie’s classroom placement and the upcoming IEP meeting. Letting that go was a tremendous relief.

Following the Release Ceremony, on New Year’s Day, I prepared what I will call, for lack of a better term, a Vision Board. It’s a collage of all the feelings, emotions, affirmations, and random “things” I want to invite into my life in the coming year. I started doing this in 2012 and it was an amazing project that really clarified my vision for my life and my writing. I was so happy with the Vision Board I created last January, I assumed I wouldn’t create another one. But after the Release Ceremony earlier this week, I realized I wanted something new.

Tonight I will put the finishing touches on my 2013 Vision Board. Some things will stay the same, but others, like life, will change and shift. In honor of my epiphany on New Year’s Eve, I’m calling this the Year of Embracing My Power.

Tomorrow I will turn my focus to my business vision and values, as part of the process of finalizing my business plan. (More on this in the next few weeks!) I’m also going to be setting some annual goals. One goal I’ve already set involves this blog. I’ve been at this for a little over a year now and have been something of a sporadic blogger. In 2013, my goal is to post here every Wednesday. You heard me: every Wednesday.

No matter how you kicked off the new year, Katie and I wish you success and prosperity in 2013.

Until next time,
Cynthia Patton