While I’m in New York City over the next few days, I’m sharing a four-part series on going from Halloween to New Year’s with balance, grace, and fulfillment.

In yesterday’s blog, you looked at those things that have tripped you up during previous holidays, and really thought about how you want the holidays to feel.

Step 2 for starting the New Year celebrating the body—and life—you want is to plan for the holidays you want.

Start by asking yourself these questions, and writing down the answers.

What do you have to do differently to get more of those feelings you want to experience during the holidays?

What do you have to do differently to honor your values?

What are the obstacles you’ll face? What do you need to do differently to work around them? Some suggestions include:

• Ensure you take time to meditate, exercise, and rest so that you maintain your mental clarity and physical energy.
• Focus on the best qualities of everyone you love and forgive them for not being perfect.
• Forgive yourself for not being perfect.
• Release yourself from the responsibility for anyone else’s happiness.
• Prioritize your to-do list so that what you’re doing aligns with what you truly want.
• Release the need to do everything yourself and either ask for help, or let things go.
• Focus on all the things you appreciate about life.
• Focus on all the reasons you want to start the New Year feeling great, and choose foods and activities that will support that.

How are you going to do those things? This is key. Really think this through. Questions to ask:

• How are you going to plan? Daily? Weekly?
• What’s the minimum you can do daily or weekly that will feel like progress?
• What are the specific (reasonable) steps you are going to take?
• How are you going to measure your success?

Tomorrow we’ll look at how to keep yourself motivated to follow your play from Halloween to New Year’s.

Together we can do it!