Discover how to achieve your goals by mastering the art of consistency. Learn actionable steps to transform your habits and reach success.

Discover practical tips and tools to help your child cope with back-to-school stress and changes. Use the Little Talk Deck for meaningful conversations and the Little Hero's Journal to track progress and build confidence. Learn how to establish routines, encourage resilience, and support your child's emotional well-being.

New Year, new start, right? But if you want to make the most of the January opportunity, it’s important to close out the current year first. And in this article, you’ll discover the reflective process that will help you do that. So if you’re ready to make the new year your best year yet, here’s what you need to do before the New Year starts. STEP 1: REFLECT You can’t move forward until you’ve first looked back to see how far you’ve come. That’s what reflection is all about. It’s developing the self-awareness that helps you consolidate everything you’ve done and learned in the past 12 months. If you jump straight into next step planning, you’ll miss out on all the insights and knowledge the past 12 months have gifted you. In turn, you’re more likely to make needless mistakes, move forward slower, and even make the wrong decisions. That’s why reflection is a skill promoted and practiced by some of the world’s top performers and athletes. They know it ensures you learn from your mistakes and make better choices and decisions in the future. So let’s put this theory into practice with an Action Step that you’re going to like a lot :-) You’re going to reflect on the past year under these four categories: What brought you JOY What brought you SUCCESS What made you DISSATISFIED And what FLOPPED! Your goal is to be comprehensive so grab last year’s calendar and any Self Journals you used over the past 12 months. Go through them week by week and pull out any events you want to list on your End of Year Reflection. When completing this worksheet remember to think about all the categories in your life - not just your work achievements. This might include: Your reflection helps put a line in the sand. Knowing what you loved and what you didn’t will help you map out next year to dial up the wins and avoid the things that didn’t work. With that information in your head, you can get excited about what’s coming next. STEP 2: VISUALIZE YOUR PERFECT LIFE The next step is to visualize what you’d create for your life if anything was possible. This is powerful because visualization taps into your imagination and empowers you to let go of limiting beliefs, think differently, and create space to dream. When you think without limits and let go of any preconceptions of what you can or should do, you start to explore the things you really desire. You become a shade braver and bolder with your goals. And when you then articulate them on paper, you set the wheels in motion to make them a reality. “The only thing that’s keeping you from getting what you want is the story you keep telling yourself.” - Tony Robbins In this way, visualization provides a roadmap - a vision that can direct your brain’s focus. As a result, your future actions, decisions, and observations all work together to help you discover the insights and opportunities you need to make things happen. Have you ever wanted something so much that it consumed you? Then, as if by magic, you met the right person, read the perfect book, discovered the missing insight, or solved an ‘impossible’ problem. That’s the power of visualization. It’s why Step 2 uses visualization to tease out the goals you long to achieve. So how do you visualize the life you’d love? All you need is a pack of sticky notes, a pen, and a timer. Set yourself 30 minutes and think about everything you want to have for your life. Go wild. Think bigger. Don’t allow your perceived limits to stop you from writing something down. Be as crazy and courageous as you want and see what your imagination throws up. Remember to think about all sections of your life - work-life harmony is key. When the timer goes off, organize all your ideas into different life categories. STEP 3: UNLOCK YOUR WHY? With aspirations for your life worked out, it’s time to understand what’s driving these ambitions. That’s the power of your WHY. When you understand the reasons you want to achieve your goals, you can unlock the inner fuel needed to help you get there. In the words of Elon Musk, “When something is important enough you do it even if the odds are not in your favor.”   In comparison, if you’re not overly bothered about the outcome, then it’s easy to get sidetracked - and maybe give up on your goal altogether. There’s only one reason you don’t achieve your goals… YOU DON’T WANT IT ENOUGH! That’s why you need to understand your WHY. Your WHY is the fuel that motivates you: In other words, your WHY is a key factor of your success. So how do you discover what’s driving you? Before we move on to the instructions, there’s an important distinction that we first need to make. You might think you already know your WHY, but beware! Your first thought may be the superficial, surface-layer answer - and that’s not going to be enough to drive you on the really tough days. Your WHY is like an onion. You need to peel away the layers until you get to the core. So don’t take your first answer as ‘done’. Instead, keep digging. Push through the discomfort and then arm yourself with the real reason you’re willing to do the hard things to create a life you can be proud of. Here’s an example to show you this process in action. Goal: Let’s say this your goal is to save $20,000 by September next year. WHY does that goal matter? Answer: Because this cash will help fund an extension and cut the need for a loan. WHY does that matter? Answer: Because we don’t have enough room for our growing family and I want to create more space without piling up debt. WHY does that matter? Answer: Providing my family with a spacious home where everyone has their own room will improve relationships and make me feel successful. Can you see how that works? Really dig to get to the heart of what you’re striving for. That way, you can remind yourself why you’re putting in the effort to make your dreams a reality. STEP 4: MAKE YOUR NEW YEAR COMMITMENTS When you look at the perfect life you visualized, there’s a good chance some of those goals will take more than a year to achieve. That’s why the next step is to get clear on what you want to achieve over the next 12 months. You can use your Annual Review Workbook to capture your goals. When you write down your goals, make sure they’re S.M.A.R.T. This means to make them: - Specific - what exactly do you want to achieve?- Measurable - how will you know you’ve made it?- Achievable - is it possible for you to achieve this goal?- Realistic - are you over-estimating what’s really possible?- Time-bound - have you set a deadline? Without this degree of clarity, your goals will just be dreams. With this amount of clarity, you’re ready to move onto the final step - the step when ideas become a reality. Step 5: CREATE ACTION STEPS The final step is to get ready to take action by creating your first 13-week roadmap using your Self Journal. Overwhelm can stop you in your tracks. In comparison, bite-sized steps will reveal the path ahead and keep you pressing forward. 13 weeks is long enough to achieve something significant but short enough to keep the finish line in sight so you’re ALWAYS inspired to keep moving. You’re much less likely to procrastinate over a goal with a deadline looming than one that feels far off in the distance. It’s the real secret to achieving audacious goals. Identify the habits you need to implement to step closer to your goals, hit them every day, and success becomes inevitable. It’s what successful people do: They set a crazy, audacious goal Work backwards to figure out the steps and milestones in between Set targets and deadlines Take action on a daily basis Work relentlessly until they get there Most people fall short of their goals because they don’t: It’s why your Self Journal can help you succeed. It helps you create a workable plan, nurture positivity, and implement the daily steps that take you closer to your goals. Here’s how to use your journal to create a 13-week roadmap that will set you up for success: Using the 13-week roadmap pages, first write down your RESULT GOAL - this is your ultimate finish line and the part you should make S.M.A.R.T. (that’s Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time-bound). Next, write down your PROGRESS GOALS or MILESTONES - these are the clear, trackable objectives that can be measured so you can monitor the journey to your goal. Finally, write down the ACTIONS + TASKS you need to take to achieve your PROGRESS GOALS. These are the things you’ll do on a daily basis to hit your targets. For example, if you have a goal to write a book then you may commit to writing for 30 minutes each day. Each Self Journal has enough 13-week roadmaps for you to work towards three RESULT GOALS at a time. Then all that’s left to do is TAKE ACTION! The truth is you can create ANYTHING you want for your life. You can launch a side hustle, grow your business, write a book, get into the best shape of your life, nurture a soulmate relationship, run a marathon, tick through your bucket list - the list is endless. If you can imagine it, then you can also create it. You just have to plan, commit, and take action daily - it’s what we’re here to help you do. You’ve got the 5-step process, now it’s time to get implementing. What will you achieve next year?

If you have intentions to make the new year your year, don’t wait for New Year’s Day. Instead, make time this month to set yourself up for success.  If you start the next year on a launchpad rather than a standstill, you’ll accelerate into January with focus, clarity, and determination.  Here are SEVEN things to try… 1. Review your year. The current year is full of lessons and learnings. Make space for a deep-dive review of the year that’s about to close, and you can take the best bits with you.  We’ve created a comprehensive journaling tool to help you close out the year. Download here.  2. Get clear on what’s most important.  There’s so much that could fill your time. But imagine who you’d become with more clarity, focus, and movement in the direction of your top priorities. When you define your core values, you create an inner compass that aligns you with what matters most.  It’s easy to define your THREE core values with this fun deck.  3. Set a context for the next year.  Activate your Reticular Activating System to identify the things you want to call into your life.  When you define a word for the year ahead, you empower yourself to say YES to the things that matter and NO to those that don't align. This episode of Writing Your Best Self describes finding your focus word.  4. Review your habits.  James Clear says, “you get what you repeat”.  Do your habits help or hinder you? Are there some new practices you want to integrate into your life to ensure you can thrive?  Be honest with the things you do on autopilot and decide if it’s time to make some tweaks.  5. Make a Live List.  Goals are brilliant for injecting focused activity into your life. But who do you want to BE and how do you want to FEEL? A Live List is a powerful journaling tool that guides you to explore how to live a more intentional life.  In the words of Oscar Wilde, “To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people just exist.”  Create a Live List, and you'll find it easier to experience that 'rarest of things'. Get the low-down on creating your Live List along with a template to complete inside this digital tool.  6. Create your support structure.  Jim Rohn famously said, “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.”  Who will surround you in the next year and help you thrive? For example:  • Is it time to join a mastermind?• Would you go further with an accountability buddy?• Do you want to find more online groups where ‘your people’ hang out? • Does your friendship group nourish and support you?  7. Set a three-month goal.  Goals give you a clear direction to focus your time, energy, and resources. Goals help you feel accomplished and productive by empowering you to achieve the things that matter most.  The trick is not to leave your goals to chance. Instead, architect them - it will maximize your chances of success. The Self Journal contains all the planning, tracking, and review templates you need to crush it. Best of all, it's a three-month focus - long enough to achieve something significant and short enough to push off procrastination. What could you achieve by the end of March next year? Here’s to making the new year your best year yet. 

Help your kiddos thrive and beat the "summer slide" with a perfect dose of structured fun that doesn’t feel like learning!

The secret is to take meaningful steps NOW to increase your chances of achieving your desired result.

Guest Post by Sharing the Wander Long road trips with kids include all kinds of challenges, from entertainment to snack foods. But have you considered how to keep your kids emotionally grounded during a long road trip? Keeping kids communicating, appreciative, and with some sort of perspective can be challenging even when you’re not traveling, and only gets harder with the stresses of travel. Road trips often alternate between long stretches of time in the car, which can lead to whining and boredom, and then stretches of intense activity and experience which can be overwhelming for kids to process.  At Sharing the Wander, we’ve spent months in the car with our kids, exploring the United States, from cities to national parks. Here are a few ways we’ve learned to use some of that time to help kids to stay grounded throughout the road trip.  This article may contain affiliate links, which means we may earn a small commission if a reader clicks through and makes a purchase.  All our recommendations are our own, and are in no way influenced by any advertiser or commercial initiative. 1. Journaling Journaling is a powerful way for people of all ages to process their emotions and experiences. A road trip is a great time to start or reinforce this habit with your kids. Even younger kids who aren’t ready for full journal entries may find ways to express themselves through images and labelling those images.  Try purchasing a journal for each kid specifically to document whatever they choose about the trip. It could be a list of stops, a record of their memories, or more personal journal entries. Let children know that journals are private, and they won’t be expected to share if they don’t want to.  For kids who are starting to write, but aren’t sure what to write about, try a book of creative story prompts to help them get started. Another recommendation is The Little Hero’s Journal from BestSelf Co. which is a guided journaling experience that inspires children to cultivate a can-do attitude and a positive mindset. For adults, we recommend the 30-Day Gratitude Journal from BestSelf.  Try setting aside time some time in the car for everyone to quietly focus on journaling or drawing at the same time. If everyone is engaged in the same activity, it can spark some quality family time together.  2. Practice Yoga Yoga is a wonderful tool for grounding kids. All you need is a YouTube account and some floor space! Our girls love to do yoga with Jamie of Cosmic Kids Yoga fame, but there are many choices online, and they are free! While kids are having fun and moving their bodies, they are also learning traditional yoga postures, and getting comfortable with a practice that will be useful to them throughout their lives.  Yoga specifically geared toward kids is usually 10-20 minutes long, and takes kids through postures while listening to a story. There are also programs that include a bit of meditation at the beginning or end as well. Try starting or ending the day with a few minutes of yoga. If you don’t have a great internet connection, even a few minutes of stretching is helpful. 3. Model Flexibility The best way to help kids find (and keep) perspective, is to model it yourself. Kids absorb the energy around them, so when things go wrong, take a deep breath and try to model patience and flexibility. Part of travel is adjusting when things go wrong- whether the restaurant you planned to eat at is closed, you get a flat tire, or the fog rolls in right before you reach sunset point. These smaller set backs are a great way for kids to practice the resilience they will need for bigger challenges they will face in their lives down the road.  4. Little Talk Conversation Cards Little Talk Conversation Cards are a great way to get the whole family talking and sharing. This is also a great time for kids to express how they are feeling, and communicate what they need. You may be surprised to hear their answer to “What do you wish mom and dad did more of?”.  These cards are designed to be accessible and appropriate for all ages. The prompts range from serious and introspective “Tell me about a time when you felt pressured”, to more light-hearted “If you could have superhero powers, what would they be and why?” You’ll laugh at some, others will make you’ll think, and you’ll be surprised what you learn about each other! Kids also learn from emulating adults, so hearing adults tell stories from their past or discuss their own hopes and dreams can be powerful. These cards are also great to use at meal times, or during long drives.  5. Exercise Exercise is a really important part of keeping kids grounded and centered. Try to incorporate exercise of some kind into your daily schedule. On a long drive day, that may mean stopping for a picnic lunch with some time at a playground afterwards. We have also run races in a small green area at a rest stop. In a big city, that may mean walking around town, or playing at the beach.  Whatever form it takes, a little exercise helps kids reestablish balance. After exercise, you’ll find kids are better able to handle the challenges of the world around them. 6. Writing Postcards to Friends and Family Separation from friends and family can be one of the hardest parts of traveling for kids. One of the best ways to mitigate this, is by writing postcards to send to loved ones. Talk about how it feels to receive a postcard (and how rare that is these days)! Postcards are a great way for kids to put feelings onto paper, without feeling intimidated about filling a whole letter, and then send a little love in the mail. 7. Daily “Best and Worst” One of our favorite ways to end the day is with a round of “Best and Worst”. We take turns going around the table at dinner and each person shares one thing that was “the worst” about the day, and one thing that was “the best”. This is a great tool for listening to each other, and seeing the day from someone else’s perspective.  If you had a great day, it’s ok to not have a “worst”, but everyone must have a “best”, as there is always some good - in even a lousy day. As a bonus, we also add a category “What I’m Looking Forward to”, which can be about the next day, or many days into the future. Feel free to make rules or categories that make sense for your family.  There You Have it! These are 7 great ways to help your kids stay grounded on a long road trip. From exercise to practicing gratitude, these simple exercises will help your kids find their balance. What’s your favorite way to work on perspective and gratitude with kids?  Planning a road trip with kids? Don’t miss our post A Road Trip with Kids and Toddlers: 20+ Tips to Survive and Thrive.

When you strip it right back, the common factor that stands between you and your dreams is YOU. Your fears. Your doubts. Your limiting beliefs. Your motivation. Your willpower etc.  It’s always you, which is why the power is also with you.  When you stir up the courage to face your fears and step to the edge of your comfort zone, you shatter the glass ceiling.  When you prioritize doing over doubting, you can move mountains.  Making the choice to get your fear in check is a powerful decision. Give yourself permission to FEEL and SEE your fear, but don’t BE it.  This bold move will empower your best self to shine.  Check out these quotes designed to put courage over comfort. Which is your favorite? “Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less.” - Marie Curie “The cave you fear to enter holds the treasure you seek.” - Joseph Campbell “Everything you want is on the other side of fear.” - Jack Canfield. “Above all, don’t fear difficult moments. The best comes from them.” - Rita Levi-Montalcini “He who is not conquering some fear has not learned the secret of life.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson. “Fear keeps us focused on the past or worried about the future. If we can acknowledge our fear, we can realize that right now we are okay. Right now, today, we are still alive, and our bodies are working marvelously. Our eyes can still see the beautiful sky. Our ears can still hear the voices of our loved ones." - Thich Nhat Hanh “I’m not afraid of storms, for I’m learning how to sail my ship.” - Louisa may Alcott “Don’t fear failure so much that you refuse to try new things. The saddest summary of a life contains three descriptions: could have, might have, and should have.” - Louis E. Boone “It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat." - Theodore Roosevelt “People living deeply have no fear of death.” - Anais Nin. “The best way out is always through.” -  Robert Frost “We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light.” - Plato “Of all the liars in the world, sometimes the worst are our own fears.” - Rudyard Kipling. “I have learned over the years that when one’s mind is made up, this diminishes fear; knowing what must be done does away with fear.” - Rosa Parks “One of the greatest discoveries a man makes, one of his great surprises, is to find that he can do what he was afraid he couldn’t do.” - Henry Ford. “Do the thing you fear to do and keep on doing it… that is the quickest and surest way ever yet discovered to conquer fear.” - Dale Carnegie “Fear has two meanings: ‘Forget Everything And Run’ or ‘Face Everything And Rise.’ The choice is yours.” – Zig Ziglar “Remembering that I’ll be dead soon is the most important tool I’ve ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything – all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure – these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important.” -  Steve Jobs “I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.” -  Nelson Mandela “If you’re not willing to risk, you cannot grow. If you cannot grow, you cannot be your best. If you cannot be your best, you cannot be happy. If you cannot be happy, what else is there?” -  Les Brown “Fear doesn’t exist anywhere except in the mind.” – Dale Carnegie “There is no illusion greater than fear.” – Lao Tzu “I was set free because my greatest fear had been realized, and I still had a daughter who I adored, and I had an old typewriter and a big idea. And so rock bottom became a solid foundation on which I rebuilt my life.” – J. K. Rowling “I believe that every single event in life happens in an opportunity to choose love over fear.” – Oprah Winfrey “I say I am stronger than fear.” – Malala Yousafzai “Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage.” – Anais Nin “Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, ‘I will try again tomorrow.’” – Mary Anne Radmacher “You’re braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.” – A.A. Milne “It is not death that a man should fear, but he should fear never beginning to live.” - Marcus Aurelius “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be?” - Marianne Williamson   Fear to Focus Journaling Prompts

Perfect for planners, artists, creatives, goal-setter, and more, bullet journaling is a powerful journaling tool that offers multiple advantages. As a technique, bullet journaling combines mindfulness with planning, tracking, organization, note-taking, reflection, self-expression, and more. No wonder so many people have caught onto the craze!  Whether you want to transform your life, organize your work, or just have somewhere special to express and capture your creative ideas, bullet journaling can work for you.  And in our chaotic, unpredictable world, not only can your BuJo help you stay on top of all of life’s expectations and responsibilities, it can help you to manage stress and anxiety too because your BuJo is an easy and effective way to find clarity, which naturally helps you to feel more composed and in control.  To kick-start your new journaling habit, try these 5 quick-fire BuJo practices to try today… 1. Use a key Creatives love bullet journaling because every page is a blank canvas that can become ANYTHING you desire. Unlike a templated journal, [like the Self Journal], bullet journals are blank meaning they offer ultimate flexibility. You’re free to track, plot, reflect, and capture anything you like - in whatever way you like.  Keys are a useful way to help you navigate your unique bullet journaling style. Your key is like a series of shortcut keys - each symbol indicating a different item. For example, a dot could mean an appointment or a circle could mean a task. You can draw your key, color your key, or even use stickers - as with everything bullet journaling, the only limitation is your imagination [and what works best for you, your style, and your life].  2. Make regular entries While anything goes in your bullet journal, it pays to identify some recurring spreads that you want to keep. If you aren’t used to journaling, it’s easy to forget to keep your journal updated. This is where something like a weekly spread or a habit tracker comes into play.  Take daily action, and you’ll soon find it’s a habit that becomes second nature and the true benefits of a BuJo will soon be apparent! In terms of what spreads to keep, there are so many ideas to try. From date night ideas to financial tracking to mood boards, with a bullet journal, you can monitor, track, and reflect on anything that’s important to you.  3. Think big The flexible nature of bullet journaling means it can be tricky to know how or where to start. Rather than focusing on daily tasks, start by jotting down monthly or fortnightly entries. Often, we deem things which occur less frequently as more important, so you’ll feel a sense of relief by writing them down. In addition to this, monthly or fortnightly tasks often give us daily or weekly tasks we need to complete in anticipation. Once you start recording monthly events, for example, you’ll find your daily and weekly schedule begins to fill up too.  4. Treat yourself to accessories Bullet journaling is a stationery lover’s dream! If you want a good excuse to stock up on some more supplies, your BuJo is your permission slip. Armed with colored pens, markers, pencils, stickers, or washi tape, you can add authenticity and personality to your journal and make it as unique as you are.  If you want to get into lettering and create spreads that are ‘Instagrammable’, you’ll even find templates that can help you write beautifully.  Bullet journaling is a fun way to express your creativity and wake up your inner artist.  So get yourself stocked up - and see what magic you can create.  5. Choose progress over perfection  A pristine, new journal is undoubtedly a sight to behold but it shouldn’t stay that way for long. If you’re spending time trying to ensure your bullet journal looks perfect, you probably aren’t getting much use out of it. Make your journal your own by doodling, scribbling or enhancing it any way you choose! After all, perfectionism is just another form of procrastination!  Remember, there is no right or wrong way to approach your bullet journal. No spread is better than another. As long as you are getting out of your practice what you want out of your practice, you’re onto a winner.  Get Started with Bullet Journaling Ready to get started with a BuJo practice? If so, here are some resources to get you going.  The Scribe notebook is perfect for bullet journaling. You’ll love to create on the premium, dot-grid, fountain-pen friendly paper.   Bullet journaling templates. A selection of over 20 templates to either trace over or stick in. An easier way to enhance your BuJo practice without the stress of the blank page.  Bullet journal spread ideas. Split over 12 categories, this list of bullet journaling ideas will keep you busy for many journals to come!