Declare It Day’s mantra for this year is a bit personal for me.
I remember writing the words ‘take the leap, chase the dream’ for the green flower back in 2013, and it was as if I was writing a love note to myself.
A love note about courage, and doing the work of creating a life that fulfills you.
These six words have been my mantra over this past decade of entrepreneurship and working alongside all of you in our effort to honor the stories that inspire and drive our movement.
When people thought we were crazy, I reminded myself that when people don’t understand your dreams or you represent something unfamiliar … all they can do is call you crazy.
When people told us it wouldn’t work, I reminded myself that when people doubt your dreams it’s usually because they don’t know what it’s like to dream themselves or they are simply so accustomed to doubting themselves.
When people worried about whether we’d be successful, I reminded myself that everyone else’s idea of success didn’t have to look like mine and it wasn’t my responsibility to live up to anyone else’s standard, only my own.
When the days of chasing my dreams got heavy and lonely, I reminded myself of all the reasons I started the journey in the first place and to give myself credit for how far I’d already come.
When the fears of taking leaps would creep in, I’d remember that I can trust myself and that I’ve done the work to handle whatever was next.
Whether it was the biggest leap of my life or a small step forward, I remember all the moments where I had to bet on myself, trust my instincts. I remember giving myself the full permission to let go of others’ expectations or judgments of me, even when it was hard.
I also remember how important it was to surround myself with the right people who didn’t just believe in my dreams with me, but who wouldn’t let me walk away from them either. You don’t accomplish great things for yourself or succeed at important goals without a cheer squad hyping you up along the way. HANDS DOWN the most important part of chasing the dream and taking any leap or step forward is surrounding yourself with people who see you, cheer you on, block the wind when you need it and remind you of your true power and gifts.
This Declare It Day theme is my origin story, and it also feels like a full circle moment for the goal-setting conversation we’ve been having for the past several years.
It has to feel good, and it has to be yours.
You’ve got to get out of your own way.
You need to get honest about your fears and what holds you back.
You need an unshakeable why — a goal-setting north star.
You need to be honest about how you’ll get there.
You need the right people along the way.
And eventually, you’ve got to leap. You’ve got to stop wishing and wanting, and you’ve got to take action on the goal you desire and the life you want.
I’m also going to tell you that we’re getting back to the basics this year.
You need to write your goal down. You need to write your why down. Goals work when you see them staring back at you every day as a reminder of what you’re working for. I love social media, but there is nothing more powerful than pen to paper and writing down what matters.
While you’ll still be able to download our declaration for free like every year, we’d also love to send you a BEAUTIFUL printed declaration this year. Full, rich colors and perfect for pinning up in your home, workout area or office. You can purchase one or you can purchase a whole bunch and hand them out to friends and make it a goal-setting party.
I’ve also put together a pretty extensive workbook for you too. It goes through four different stages of goal-setting (that I think are pretty critical to success) and it offers a ton of questions and reflection points to get you inspired and to keep you motivated. The workbook can be completed over a week or a year — your pace is perfect.
And, if you purchase the workbook, I’m going to walk you through every part of it with a workshop on Declare It Day! We’ll spend an hour together LIVE where I’ll share my tips, stories and answer questions that you have. (You can access the recording for 30 days too.)
We’ll launch everything later this week, so please stay tuned!
Last thing: If you haven’t joined our FFCrew, get on it! That’s where I’ll be hanging out this Declare It Day, and that’s where we’ll be celebrating our goals, leaps and dreams throughout the year. I invite you to join us!