The excitement for a new year feels electric. It is as if there is a communal sense of exhilaration with the transition – an energy that reminds me of static electricity generated when you rub a balloon on your head and the positive charge causes your hair to stand up. Perhaps the energy arises out of hope or maybe it is a sense of excitement about fresh opportunities and perspectives. Whatever the cause, the energy of the new year seems to generate a positive, electric charge – an energy that is ready to be put to work.

With the transition to the new year, I would like to offer the idea of envisioning as a powerful way to harness the electric energy currently in the air. Envisioning is a process through which we can accomplish more than just thinking about what we want to happen; it is a process through which we can ground ourselves in more than a resolution to accomplish a specific goal. Through envisioning, we see ourselves living as if our vision is already occurring – we can envision living as the best version of ourselves.

The process of envisioning is simple and effective – one that can help us make meaning in these first days of the new year. We can consider our purpose and intention; we can envision living our best life. Ready to give it a try?

Here are steps to begin envisioning…

When it comes to envisioning, we first consider how we arrived at this moment in time…

What are the positives from the past year that I can bring forward?

What are the successes and experiences I am grateful to have had?

What are the achievements and accomplishments that have brought me to this place?

What are the learnings that have caused me to grow?

Then, armed with this knowledge and bolstered by the new year’s electric energy, we consider…

What do I envision for this new year?

You might ponder reflections on your strengths, your passions, and your values. Perhaps you will consider where you most enjoy spending your time and energy, what you love doing most, and what you would like to do more. You might consider the experiences you hope to have, wellness you hope to create, or how you will celebrate joy and meaning. There is no right way to envision, and there is no vision that is right for everyone.

Envisioning is a powerful tool that can help us start the new year with purpose and intention and is perhaps one of the greatest ways to mobilize the new year’s electric energy. We can put the positive charge to use, like plugging in a lamp to brighten a room. We can leverage the excitement, the freshness, and the motivation to start or build that hope we have bubbling up inside. In channeling the electric energy ignited with the new year, we begin this new year envisioning all that is to come.

What will you envision for 2023?