You can start a new chapter whenever you like, but a season change gives you a natural place to turn the page.
Start With an Intention
Before we get into anything specific, I want you to take a moment and think about what you want this season to feel like overall or if there is a particular theme you want to focus on. This is our intention and our foundation for the months ahead.
There are two ways to approach this:
- A specific focus area, something tangible you want more of
- A feeling or sense you want to create
Neither is more "right" than the other. Some seasons call for a clear target. Others call for a mood you want to build your life around.
Some areas to think about
Visibility: Do you want to be seen more? By your employer, on social media, or just in life in general? Maybe this season is about putting yourself forward, trying new things, and getting out there.
Finances: Is this the season you finally get on top of your money? Maybe it's your number one priority right now, and everything else can wait.
Love: This could be self-love, romantic love, more time for family, more time for friendship. Simply making more space in your life for more love.
Adventure: Maybe your big overarching theme is that you want more adventure in your life. When you set goals without an intention like this behind them, they can start to feel random and disconnected. Setting the intention first means gives you structure and guidance.
If you're drawn to a feeling
Peace: Maybe this season is about setting boundaries, or just working on your own sense of calm. Do you generally want to feel less stressed and more chill.
Joy: Similar to adventure, this gives you a north star. The question becomes: what do I want to do to create more joy in my life? How can I connect more to joy and what actually brings me joy in the first place?
Connection — This could be connection to yourself, or to the people and world around you. Creativity is one of the best ways I know to connect back to yourself. Self-care gets talked about as bubble baths and face masks, but the thing that actually sits behind self-care is self-connection — understanding what you need, and being able to give it to yourself.
Pick one, or two at most. Some of these pair naturally — joy and adventure, visibility and joy. Whatever you choose, take a moment to ask yourself: why is this important? Why now? What will focusing on this do for me?
Turn Your Intention Into a Few Small Adventures
Once your intention is set it's time to think about the "goals" that sit underneath it. I say goals in inverted commas, because I know that word makes a lot of people switch off. So instead, think of them as small adventures or little quests. Destinations you have to work out how to get to.
It's the same thing, but it's a lot more fun.
Here's how that might look, depending on your intention:
Visibility → Start a social media account for something specific. Shout about one achievement at work once a week.
Wealth → Ask for that pay rise. Start an online shop. Sell a few things you no longer need. Learn about investing. Set yourself a savings goal.
Love (including self-love) → Take time out for yourself each week. Schedule proper self-care the kind that means sitting and reading a book, or calling a friend. Plan fun activities in with your partner or family. Or, if you're single and it feels right, get out on the dating scene and treat it as its own small adventure.
Adventure → Do the thing that scares you a little. Book the trip you've never taken. Try the exercise class, the dance class, the new hobby, the gig, the restaurant you've been meaning to try. It doesn't need to be huge — the point is simply getting outside your comfort zone.
Peace → Get honest about who or what tests your boundaries, and start setting them. On the more tangible side: build in time for journalling, meditation, breathwork, or a daily walk.
Joy → Ask yourself plainly: what brings me joy? Then make time for it. That might mean more journalling, more planning, more time for an old hobby. Dancing, travelling, reading... solo coffee dates ... world is your oyster.
Connection → Give yourself five minutes just to sit with your own thoughts. Get creative, it's one of the most powerful ways to reconnect with yourself. Try doing something that brought you joy when you were younger. Reach out to friends, your local community or simply go for a walk in your local area and look at all the beauty around you.
A Few Prompts To Strech You A Little
Sometimes it helps to step outside your specific intention altogether and ask yourself some broader questions. These don't need to be linked to anything, they can just be used to get ideas flowing:
- What's something fun you want to do in the next four months, purely for the sake of it? No reason to do it just because you feel like it.
- What's something courageous you could do... something outside your comfort zone, whether or not you've done it before? It doesn't have to lead to a specific outcome, the only goal is to test the limits of your bravery.
It doesn't have to be dramatic. It could be joining a book club, even though meeting new people feels daunting. It could be a knitting club, a networking event, or a class you've been putting off.
For me, my next courageous thing is a dance class. I think I'm going to be bad at it, but I think it sounds fun so what the heck!
Get Ready for the Excuses Before They Arrive
You're inspired right now. You've got your intention, you've got a few small adventures in mind. But here's what's coming: tomorrow, or next week, when you actually sit down to journal, your phone will buzz and you'll end up doom-scrolling for half an hour instead. You'll decide you can't be bothered to get your supplies out. You'll plan a walk and then decide it's a bit too cold. Netflix will be more appealing than book club... the excuses will sneak in.
It will always feel easier to stay in your comfort zone than to do the new thing. That's not a personal failing, it's just how brains work. The idea that some people are simply "disciplined" and others aren't is a myth. The people who follow through aren't immune to resistance; they've just learned to expect it and push through anyway.
So pre-empt it now. Get specific:
- If your intention is peace, you probably already know who or what is going to test your boundaries first.
- If it's a savings goal, you probably already know your weak spot.
- If it's a class or a hobby, you probably already know the exact excuse you'll reach for: it's cold, I'm tired, I'll start next week.
Write it down. Naming the excuse in advance takes away most of its power. So when it comes up you are ready to pop it back in its box.
Every Small Push Counts More Than the Destination
Here's the thing I got wrong for a long time with goal setting: I focused entirely on the destination. But the truth is, every time you make a decision to act anyway, even scared, even embarrassed, even when the excuse feels completely real ... you're backing the future version of yourself. And each time you do it, it gets a little easier.
The first spinning class I went to, I was terrified. By the fifth or sixth, the nerves had gone. The first video I ever posted for my business was horrendous to film. The second was only slightly less horrendous. This is my third live workshop this year, and I remember the first one being so nerve racking i barely slept the night before... but if I had let that be a sign I was meant to stop I wouldn't be here today writing this.
So whatever your intention is this season — visibility, wealth, love, adventure, peace, joy, or connection — you've got this. One small adventure at a time.
Happy adventuring!
Rebecca x