You can make a “fresh start”—and enact positive changes in your life—at any time of year, not just January 1st. I don’t know about you, but after the hustle and bustle of the holidays, the New Year always comes along WAY too suddenly for me to be thinking about life goals. So in the past, I’ve rushed into it, making long lists of (unrealistic) resolutions, as if I’m trying to change everything about myself all at once.

This year, I decided to do things differently. I took the month of January to take stock of my life and my goals, to ponder and reflect, and to set intentional intentions for 2018. I want to go all in this year—with my planning, with my business, with my life.

That’s what 2018ex is all about. In my quest for an extraordinary year, I’ve selected 12 monthly intentions, and I’m going to use my Fresh Start planning system to make them a reality.

What do I mean by extraordinary? I’m not talking about any external measures of success—such as social media likes and follows, sales numbers, numbers on a scale, or numbers of any kind.

I’m talking about getting off of autopilot, embracing the ordinary moments, making daily decisions that align with my values, and stopping the blur as much as possible. Life is moving so fast, and I feel my family dynamic changing with each passing week and month. I want to pay attention to the tiny moments, to make the most of every minute of my wild and wonderful life, and to capture and record as much of it as I can. Every little thing I write down—every photo I snap—will become a doorway to a richer memory.

As I plan and live and capture my life this year with the Fresh Start system, I’m focusing specifically on these four pillars of memory keeping:

Experiences—recording the stories and events that make up my everyday life

Exceptional moments—capturing the highlights and most exciting moments of each month

Expressions—using artistry and creativity to document life as it happens

Expectations—acknowledging when things don’t exactly go according to plan

My 10-year-old daughter Capri told me she didn’t want to set goals this year, because she didn’t want to be disappointed if she didn’t live up to them. I get that. I told her (and myself) that we have to take it one day at a time, one decision at a time. And the more we make our dreams visible by writing them down in our planners and on calendars—breaking them down into the little steps we need to take day by day—the more our dreams settle in and become a part of us. 

Please come back here at the beginning of each month, when I’ll share my new theme/intention along with videos, thoughts, photo prompts, downloads, planning tips, and more—all designed to expand our perspectives and put our dreams within reach. I’ll also be sharing my finished planning pages from the previous month.

If you’re ready to get started, click on over to February, with the theme “Exhale.”