Do A Review Of Your 2020 To Set Yourself Up For A Great 2021!

There are two definitions of success – one is that you are standing on the

top of the mountain – this is great, but eventually you’re going to have to

come down. The other definition is from Napoleon Hill (author of Think

and Grow Rich), “Success is the progressive realization of a worthwhile

goal”.

Through the perspective of that second definition, how was your 2020?

Almost everyone was derailed in one way or many by the

unpredictability and stresses of 2020. How did you do with that stress? 

What are some of the adaptations you had to make? Some of the things

you learned... or things you learned you could do without? What are

some of the ways that you showed up in good or great ways?

This time of year is a great time to take a bird’s eye view of your life and

make sure you are going the direction you want.

There are concrete steps to doing this, and the sooner you do them the 

longer you will reap the benefit.

Define your top 5 core values.

Write down your personal Vision and Mission statements.

Decide on the top 5 things you will focus on this next year.

Make a step by step plan for each.

(Want support in doing this? Join my Setting Your Intentions For 

2021 class this Wednesday 12/16 at 6pm PST!)

Everyone has core values, and these shape our behavior, even if they are 

not consciously worked out.

Deliberate reflection on them helps you make choices that are an even

better fit for yourself in the future. This season is a great time to look 

over your values. Revisit and refine the list each year.

And how about your personal vision and mission statements? Having 

these well defined helps you keep your effort focused on what’s important 

and also gives you a way to keep track of your progress.  These 

statements are great to have on post-its by your bathroom mirror, on your 

car dashboard or desktop. Read them often and keep them fresh!

As you may know, I’m committed to living a life where Doing and Being 

are balanced, so my values, vision and mission are about both 

achievement and surrender.

Warren Buffet encourages us to write down 20 goals, decide on the top 

five and then protect your time from being siphoned off to the bottom 15. 

In any case, defining and writing down your goals is a sure way to make it 

more likely you will achieve them.

Some people are natural methodical goal setters and planners. Not me! I 

have to work at it. My preference is to live life spontaneously by the seat 

of my pants. This, unfortunately, is not the way to build anything 

substantial - like a house, a retirement fund, a business, or a family. Long-

term projects (which are the important ones to me) all need to be broken 

down into methodical, step by step plans.

Figuring these out beforehand is hard work and requires patience and 

imagination. For most long-term projects this planning is essential. And 

write it down!

Most people are not methodical about doing this kind of life review and 

planning, and their lives reflect that. As you know, the results you achieve 

usually reflect the quality of your planning.  So take advantage of the 

energy of this season, use the introspective time of the dark of the year to 

look within, review your last year, recall your core values, your mission 

and vision statements and set up your plans for achieving your 5 most 

important goals in 2021!

(Want support in doing this? Join me for my Setting Your Intentions 

For 2021 class this Wednesday 12/16 at 6pm PST!!)

Plans Are Essential For Achieving Your Goals

Making a plan is not the same as achieving your goal, but goals are more predictably reached if you have a plan. Life is complicated and chaotic and if you don’t have a “North star” for your course you will likely spend a lot of energy on less important activities.

People who are excited and satisfied in their lives define and work on plans. For some this is second nature, but many people could be much more disciplined and deliberate in this process.

As 2020 draws to a close it is a great opportunity to reflect on the year; How have you handled the challenges the year brought? What have you learned or achieved? What are you proud of? What are your take-aways? What do you want to do differently?

It’s also a great time to plan your 2021. What are your goals – in the areas of work, self-care, relationship and others? What are your top 5 focal areas? What might your ideal year look like? Your ideal month, week and day? What do you need to do first in order to make your plans come to pass?

This process is more fun to do with others, (and is likely to be more thorough!) Join us to review 2020 and plan your stellar 2021!

We’ll meet twice for 2 hours as a group on Zoom. In the first meeting we’ll be primarily focused on a review of the past year, and in the second meeting we will bring that information into our planning for 2021. Our time will mostly be spent on focused personal reflection activities followed by personal sharing in small groups and dyads. Please plan to spend an additional 2 hours between the group meetings. Wednesdays 12/16 and 12/30 6-8 PM PST. $90 by 11/30, $120 thereafter. If money is a barrier, talk to me about scholarship possibilities.  Call or text today: 541-821-6623  email: nandoATmind.net

Breathe Into Personal Transformation

Breathwork and Personal Transformation

One of the most powerful and accessible tools for supporting your personal transformation is breathwork.  Have you ever explored this? 

Stanislav Grof's Holotropic Breathing is a path for acessing profound psychedelic states.

Rebirthing is based on using breath to access and process early traumas.

Wim Hof uses breathwork as part of his immune system enhancement program.

There are many breathwork patterns in Yoga.

In Qigong, movement is coordinated with deep breathing to go to healing states especially quickly.

There are many patterns and traditions to explore, but they work with the simple variables of tempo, volume, and breath holding.  Personal growth and transformation is guaranteed to involve changes in your breathing habits, and by exploring new breathing patterns you explore new ways of being.

Here is a simple balancing breath: inhale for 4, hold the breath for 4, exhale for 4, hold the breath for 4.  Concentrate on your physical sensations, and repeat this for at least 5 cycles to recapture an improved sense of peace.

Ready to learn more?  Attend my Qigong classes or special breathwork sessions!  Breath is life!

Black Lives Matter – Silence is Violence

The process of personal growth and transformation should also be a

 political process, don’t you agree? As we each grow in our self-

understanding and self-management, our ability to bring compassion

 to ourselves and to others should also increase. Self-understanding that 

is not reflected in our behavior with other living creatures is hollow.

As a white man, I am still working to understand my privilege. 

The process of understanding the experience of another person, or 

group of people, is life-long. In our racist and sexist culture it is the

 responsibility of those who hold the privilege to educate themselves

  about the experience of those who are oppressed and to actively work

 to become more effective allies. 

I know I still have a lot to learn about this.

We now have a cultural opportunity to commit even more deeply                                                                    


















to our own growth in a way that is of service to all beings. 

Our culture is sexist and racist. We hold these attitudes even when we 

are unaware of them. 

Often the most loving thing you can do for those around you is to work on

 yourself.

And then there are the times when you need to put your action where                                                                                               













 your heart is, engage in the political process and take to the streets!

Breathe and be present!

Could you pause right now and breathe in the present moment? Joy is always experienced in the now, while thinking about the past or future often creates distress.

Especially during these times, there is a lot that can be very upsetting.  And face it, if you aren't outraged by what is happening in the US right now, you are not paying attention.

And this on top of the stress we are all experiencing from the CoVid pandemic.

But it will not help you be more effective in your life to become emotionally overwhelmed by these world events.   In order to be at your most effective as a contributor, you have to manage your own morale.

This means taking time to rest from taking care of business and thinking and feeling about all this and  deliberately paying attention to the present moment when it is neutral to positive.  Allow yourself to savor the ordinary delight of eating food, drinking water, feeling the air on the surface of your skin. 

What are some favorite ways you can stop for just a couple breaths and pay attention to the wonder of being incarnate, aware, and living on a planet hurtling through a vast universe of galaxies?

Tune in to gratitude, wonder and curiosity!

Joy is always experienced in the now, while thinking about the past or future often creates distress.

Want some support in this?  Attend my online classes in  Mindful Movement - Qigong, T'ai Chi and Somatic Meditation

Loving yourself helps you love others

 Particularly during this time, it's so valuable to be kind with yourself! 

By bringing more compassion to yourself, you'll be able to bring more to those around you.

Could you breathe and soften in your body right now?

Could you put your hand on your heart and give yourself some approval and love?




Life is always unpredictable and that's hard for each of us.  And right now the future is even more uncertain than usual.

As you soften your belly and open your heart you'll see more opportunities to reach out and offer care to others.  You... and they... need it now more than ever.

Loving yourself more - sometimes the most loving thing you can do for others.   

Try these supportive resources now:  Online Qigong and Somatic Meditation classes, workbook on Practical Self-Compassion