“Curiosity is directly linked to success – no matter how you measure it. Innovation is like a bug that anyone can catch.” Amanda Lang
What are your goals and affirmations for 2015? Cheryl Thiele is a California-based writer, artist, art dealer, and curator. She is also the creator of The Sacred Journey – A Daily Journal for Your Soul which celebrates its 20th year of publication in 2015. Some time ago, I used the journal to chronicle my experiences and decided to become reacquainted with it to document the first year of The Mane Intent. In the journal, Thiele defines a goal as a focused intention: “Goals provide seeds of change in our lives. While goals may represent specific desires, they also help us to hone who we are, what we need, and how to shape our lives. Once we are specific, our next steps become evident, and our goals will begin to manifest. Precise goals produce clear results. A shift occurs when you move beyond thinking about something and become resolved enough to commit it to paper and then take action.” What seeds of change will you plant in your life this year? What are your desires and intentions?
Thiele notes that affirmations are concise statements that confirm our intentions with positive thoughts, desires and expectations. “They magnetize what we want, influence the quality of our lives, and promote a shift in our attitudes. Goals and affirmations work together: goals tend to express specific, tangible desires, while affirmations are more intuitive, more holistic and all-encompassing.”
As you mull over and take note of your goals and intentions for 2015, consider up these guidelines she offers up:
- Write with a positive tone
- Write in present time, as if the goal/affirmation has already occurred
- Write as specifically and as succinctly as possible
- Write about yourself rather than trying to change others
- Write words that you understand and use in everyday life
- Write with as open a heart as possible
One of my goals for 2015 is to carve more time in my schedule for reading. I usually have a number of books on the go but never find the time to finish them. I started early over the holidays with Amanda Lang’s book “The Power of Why.” Amanda Lang is a senior business correspondent for CBC News. I had an opportunity to meet Amanda at a corporate event a few years ago. She was personable, witty and down to earth. I enjoyed my chat with her then and I am enjoying her book now.
The book is really about innovation – personal and professional. She writes about the benefits of having a curious mind set – one that is open to new possibilities and having the courage to ask questions and to embrace the answers, whether or not they are to your liking. Her premise is that curiosity drives progress: “Curiosity is directly linked to success – however you measure it. But curiosity just doesn’t have a utilitarian value. It doesn’t just help you find solutions and make progress and understand yourself and the rest of the world better. It can actually help you have a better life, one in which you’re engaged, energized, fulfilled and constantly learning. And that ultimately is the power of why.”
She also writes that “innovative thinking is contagious, which is one good reason to surround yourself with people who think differently and have had different experiences from you. Innovation is like a bug anyone can catch.”
In 2014, I planted the seeds and made a few life changes to launch The Mane Intent. In 2015, I’d like to catch the innovation bug. Facilitated equine experiential learning (FEEL) is an innovative approach to personal and professional development. Horses are wonderful change agents for their human partners. Using FEEL, our work is guided by a belief that all clients have the best solutions for themselves when given an opportunity to discover them. We offer a variety of both individual and group facilitated workshops to help clients discover ways to nurture and strengthen interpersonal connections, find connection and meaning in a busy life, unearth talents, gifts and creativity, and live fully with intent and an open heart. The facilitation and experiences provide opportunities for clients to explore, problem-solve, take risks, employ creativity and allow their own stories and solutions be told.
Maggie and Chicago discuss their 2015 goals and intentions.
As I go forward into a year of new possibilities, many of them firsts, I look forward to expanding my network, surrounding myself with people who think differently and who have had different experiences from me. I look forward to having the conviction to act, while giving myself permission to make mistakes and to have the courage to ask questions every step along the way. I am excited about the prospect of introducing my herd to new people and watching their shared dance unfold. I look forward to meeting new people and workshop participants as we connect to new possibilities using horse power. Bring it on.
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