Each birthday, many people reflect back on the prior year and assess the achievement of their goals or what has been left undone. Some people do this consciously as an annual ritual, while others try to ward off thoughts of their birthday.

My birthday arrives in a few days, so I’m in the process of my annual ritual. Because this is also a milestone birthday, I’m in a lifetime review ritual as well. And I realized that the last time I blogged about my annual ritual was 5 years ago in 2011. My how time flies!

Here’s what I know: It can be easy to focus on what has been left undone and continue to add the same goals to your list to be achieved by your next birthday. It can be frustrating to keep putting the same goals on your list and not achieve them (I know … I have 2 big ones that still make my annual list).

Maybe you write out your list of intentions and goals and put it in an envelope not to be opened until your next birthday, or you post your intentions like a banner in a place you will see it everyday.

Having your list of intentions written out is a good practice for staying focused everyday so that you take actionable steps to manifest what you desire. Because intentions and desires without action just end up being unfulfilled wishes, right?

So if you feel like you have the same goals year after year and have not achieved what you want, you may simply need to shift your energy to identify what is blocking you, or take a hard look look as to why you are not reaching your goal and reconfigure those goals into something that is more aligned with why you are on this planet.

One good practice for shifting your energy is to focus on what you accomplished during the past year rather than focusing on what you did not achieve. If your energy is focused on lack and what you have still to achieve, then that sends a message to the Universe that you have lack and you will only manifest “the desire to achieve” rather than actually achieving your goal.

How do you do this? On your birthday, give yourself the gift of a day off and take the day for yourself. Spend the day focused on gratitude for all that you accomplished in the last year and that will increase your vibration to allow you to reach more of your goals.

So while there are so many goals and milestones left on my list,  when I think back to what I’ve done over my lifetime it is mind blowing. When I look just over the past year, these are just a few things that I am grateful for achieving (all of which were intentional and on my intentions board):

• My health is thriving (and the same for kitties) to which I credit moving back home to Michigan in 2015 for a more balanced lifestyle and infusing myself and the kitties with Young Living oil-infused products;
• I have grown my Young Living team because I share how awesome the oils and products are with everyone and anyone who is struggling, and I started working with team members who are interested in doing the same which has given me such joy to help them achieve their wellness and financial goals;
• I made the courageous decision to walk way from an unsupportive legal work environment and decided to be my own boss which has resulted in delicious freedom and the opportunity to work with two universities on human-animal interaction programs and numerous invitations to teach at conferences;
• For the first time I was invited to teach at a conference overseas, in Prague, this past May on my Therapy Animals Supporting Kids program which is helping to place volunteer therapy animal teams with abused children going through the court system and I have just confirmed another invitation to teach overseas later in the year;
• I authored two book chapters:
  • Wrote a chapter on The Human-Animal Relationship in Context of the Juvenile and Criminal Justice Systems: Therapy Animals in the Court System in the Handbook on Animal-Assisted Therapy, and
  • Co-authored a book chapter on The (Ab)Use of Shelter Animals in Laboratory Experimentation in the International
    Handbook on Animal Abuse Studies that is being published this year;
• I have made some awesome new friends, reconnected with friends from the past and met some really amazing people this past year;
• And last but not least, this past year I have found a beautiful balance where I have more fun time and time to reflect.

Life is an adventure to be cherished. Do your best to live the life you were meant to live, stay focused on what you want to achieve, take action towards those goals, and focus on small and big successes. But above all else, be happy!

P.S. My cat Lucy (pictured below) turned 18 this month and I am so incredibly grateful to have her in my life.

About Allie Phillips: