First off, Happy New Year!! I hope 2018 blesses you with love, happiness, and much success. I know it's a little cliche to write about motivating tips for the new year but I can't help it. Going into 2018 I'm in a completely different place than when 2017 started, so I wanted to bring you guys a quick post on staying inspired. 2018 will be the first full year of owning my own business, so to say that I'm feeling ready to take on the world would be an understatement. I cannot wait to bring you guys new content and have spent the past few weeks making so many goals and jotting down every idea that has popped into my head.

Owning your own business takes much self discipline and it's forced me to create some great habits that I want to share with you. If I had to pick one phrase to describe what I think is most important when accomplishing your goals, it would be self reflection; and I'm talking honest self reflection. You can set goals all day long, but it you aren't taking the time to reflect on what you've done and where you're headed, you cannot make it to your goal. Sometimes you have to edit and reroute yourself throughout the year and that's ok! Below are some of my best tips on how to incorporate self reflection into your life so that you can smash whatever comes before you this year.

1. Answer these 50 questions about 2017/2018: I shared THIS LINK HERE on my Facebook page (Click here to follow, if you're not already) and I cannot stress how vital this was for me. It brought my attention to areas of 2017 that I loved and didn't love. The questions were very straightforward and really helped me reflect on 2017 and prep for 2018. I also recommend writing these down in a notebook so that you can revisit them at the end of 2018 and answer the same questions and see how your answers change. I plan on making this my new end of the year tradition to track growth and passion.

2. Carry a mini notebook with you at all times: I have been doing this for years and I think it's so important to have a space for 'brain dumping'. I like the carry the Moleskine small notebooks with me, but anything will do. I often find I will come up with tasks to complete or ideas when I'm not able to work on them and I love being able to write it down and get it out of my brain. Sometimes we give ourselves too many things to remember and it can create unnecessary stress. If I write it down, I can get it out of my head and focus on the current task much more easily. I find that doing this also helps me be more present in the moment because I don't have to worry about forgetting something.

3. Write your goals down and be specific with dates and numbers. This one might seem obvious but if you are not specific it will take you so much longer to reach your goal. I recommend revisiting your goals at least once a month, if not more often. If you have nothing written down, you won't have anything to reflect on. So be specific when you write them down, stare and them often and you will fill your mind with thoughts on accomplishing them. The more you think and surround yourself with your goals, the more likely you will make them feel like reality and that they are doable.

4. Reflect on how you spend your time. How often to you plan on picking up a new hobby or spend less time doing something and then all of a sudden two months go by and you haven't changed. I recommend taking a look at your weekly schedule and writing every way that you spend your time. This includes the 2 hours of Netflix every night or 1 hour spent cooking dinner. Then for each item, make a pros and cons list on how much value each thing is bringing to your life. You may find that you're spending too much time doing things that are costing too much money or taking away from your overall happiness. Sometimes you need to see it written on paper to realize you need to make a change. You may not realize how much time you are giving something that is bringing no value to your life, until you see how often you do it in a week or month. Then you can swap that time for something better.

5. Read. Read. Read. I cannot tell you how much reading motivates me. I love that I can literally pick up a book on any topic I desire and learn. Also read books of several different topics at the same time. This will help you stay attentive. It's like watching a movie; sometimes you're in the mood for one topic and sometimes you need another. Regardless, I find that reading helps me stay inspired and motivated by constantly learning new things.

I hope you'll reflect on your progress throughout 2018 and succeed in whatever you put your mind to. You can do it!

Happy New Year,

Andrea Fontana