@2012 Photo by Linda SamuelsWhile New Year's Eve has come and gone, the wonderful energy from that night remains. I loved celebrating the end of one year and the beginning of another with our family and friends. The evening included eating, dancing, laughing, singing, reflecting and playing games. While the celebration has ended, the New Year essentials remain- fresh starts, bit of sparkle, and hope for what is possible.

1. Fresh Start - The New Year brings the gift of a clean slate. Imagine a blank canvas beautifully white like a fresh blanket of snow. You get a do-over, a chance to paint a new picture. The possibilities are bountiful as you consider the people, places and growth opportunities that will cover your canvas. Breathe deeply and joyfully embrace this new beginning.

2. Sparkle - Consider the "sparkle" factor. While I actually love glittery, reflective objects, what I'm really thinking about here is the sparkle within. What makes you glow? What gives you energy? How can you incorporate more inner sparkle this year? You deserve to shine.

3. Hope - We all need hope. Perhaps this past year wasn't as successful or happy or as organized as we wanted. We have the possibility to leave the negative behind and look toward the future. What are you hoping for? What do you want your days to look and feel like? What's possible for you in the coming months? Allow hope to reign.

As I say my goodbyes and reflect about the past year, I am grateful for what was. I am hopeful about what comes next. I wish each of you a spectacular year of joy, hope, love, and success. What are you imagining?

This was a first for me. After having tea and checking my email, I started writing this blog post on my iPad at Starbucks. I arrived too early for my client appointment and had some extra time.

I'm a frequent Starbucks customer, and while I’ve spent many hours at various locations sipping lattes and relaxing, I’ve never done any writing on the premises until today.  I find this funny because I always see other people working on their laptops and wonder how they can focus with all the noise.

My preferred time and place to write my blog has typically been at my desktop, surrounded by the quiet, privacy, and comfort of my home. Starbucks has an entirely different atmosphere. There are many sounds like continual music, steamed liquids being prepared, the buzz of many conversations, beverage requests being taken, feet shuffling, and chairs moving. To add to the activity, the Starbucks where I sat was in New York City. There was as much going on inside as there was outside.

To my surprise, I enjoyed the change of scenery from where I usually write. It breathed new life into one of my 2011 goals of writing a weekly blog post. This month, I’m writing about "Fresh Start," which corresponds to chapter one of my book, The Other Side of Organized.

Beginning again with a clean slate or a completely different slate can be enervating. It's what I experienced this morning. So, as you're setting your goals and making some changes, think about shaking things up. I accidentally stumbled upon this at Starbucks simply by changing the location where I usually write. What slight alteration can you make to bring you closer to accomplishing one of your goals?

I’d love to hear about your best goal-boosting strategies.

Like a tea bag steeping, sometimes you need to wait and let the flavor get stronger before you can take a sip. The same holds true for our beginning of the year plans. Sometimes we are ready to dive in and go full speed ahead on January first. We are determined to keep the resolutions that we’ve set like saying “no” to desserts, exercising three times a week or finally getting control of our chaos. At other points, we need more time to let our ideas deepen before we can move forward.

There are many possibilities. What if you’re almost half way through the first month of the new year and you’ve already indulged in “several” desserts, you haven’t exercised even once a week and organization is nowhere in sight? Or, what if you find yourself halfway though the month and you haven’t yet determined what your resolutions or goals are?

I’m personally straddling the two camps. Several weeks ago, I made a list of possible 2011 goals. I haven’t officially committed to any of them. I simply compiled a list of things that I am considering. The list includes items such as redo my Oh, So Organized! website, design and build a new desk area, try some new recipes and spend more time with friends. Ideas are still being added. No actual resolutions have been made or goals set because I’m collecting and processing. I’m getting closer, but need more time to decide what I want to pursue most.

An odd thing is happening, though. Since the thoughts are on this list, I’m aware of whether I’m doing or not doing any of them. So, when I say, “yes” to a sweet, I’m justifying that it’s fine to eat because I haven’t yet committed to “no desserts.” I am conscious, but not guilty because I’m still in the deciding mode.

Whether you’ve set your goals and slipped, contemplated your goals but not committed or are working hard to keep on track, let’s remove all guilt out of the equation. Remember that you’re human. There is no perfect, especially when it comes to making changes. Give yourself the time you need to figure out what you’d like to accomplish. Along with that, give yourself a dose of forgiveness as you experience the ups and downs of striving towards your goals.

What 2011 ideas are you contemplating? 

There’s nothing like “fresh!” Here we are at the beginning of a new year. We’re just a few days into the month. Each of us has an opportunity to wipe the slate clean, reset our goals and design our next twelve months. There are many great ways to harness this energy on a daily basis. I’ll share some of my ideas and I’d love to hear from you too.

5 Ways to Get a Fresh Start

Find Your First Sip- Conjure up the scent of that morning pot of coffee brewing. After delighting in the aroma, now imagine taking your first sip from your favorite mug. For me, this simple act of enjoying my coffee not only is pleasurable, but also signals that it’s time to begin again and sets a hopeful tone for my day.  If you’re not a coffee drinker, perhaps brushing your teeth, taking a shower, or doing some deep breathing will work instead. The idea is to find your starter or first sip.

Display the Vibrancy- Another way to create a new start atmosphere is to add fresh flowers to your environment. I love getting flowers before their petals have opened.  Cutting their stems, arranging them into favorite containers and placing them in full view creates a tone of vibrancy, life and hope. I particularly delight in bouquets of tulips this time of year. Their joyful shapes and colorful blooms remind me that the cold of winter will soon be followed by the warmth of spring. It’s hope in a vase.

Pump Up the Positive- Take time to reflect on your accomplishments and good memories from last year. These thoughts will create a positive expectation and increase your confidence as you take on new projects and goals. When I think about the past year, the two things that stand out most for me were successfully launching our youngest daughter off to college and writing regularly for my own blog and others. What are you proud of from last year? What experiences did you have that boosted your happiness?

Let it Go- It’s all too easy to stay stuck in the Land of Didn’t Dos. To make the most of your fresh start, let go of your mistakes, disappointments and failures. We are human. None of us are exempt from these experiences. The key is in how you process them. Depending upon the depth of the disappointment, you might not be able to put it aside without some outside help. If something is holding you back to the point of contaminating your days, get the help you need so that you can let go and move ahead. Learning, forgiveness and understanding are essential.

Bring On the Sparkle- There’s nothing like a little bit of glitter to lift my mood, create some daily magic and set the tone for experimentation and possibilities. This season in particular, shiny things are everywhere and I love it! However, long before the design industry deemed it so, I have enjoyed being surrounded by glittered-laden pencils, sparkly eye shadow, reflective glass, sequined pillows and jeweled picture frames. These external sparkles remind me to pursue the people, places and things that bring out that inner twinkle.

Sometimes it’s the smallest of things that lets us take a deep breath, forgive ourselves and allow us to move forward. Whether it’s that first sip of coffee or a glitter-covered Eiffel Tower ornament, surround yourself with cues that encourage you to make the most of the New Year. What inspires your fresh start?