I’m in the process of planning a getaway to Ibiza and soon, I’ll be de-camping to my new property there for two months.

Wow… when I consider that sentence, I could only IMAGINE that I’d be writing it a short time ago!

Turning a Dream into Reality

London will always be my home – it’s where I was born and bred, but I think of Ibiza as my other home – a new one.

Owning a place there had been a dream I’d held on to for many years but it was always something for the future that I’d do ‘one day’.

It wasn’t until after (another) holiday there in September of 2012, my mind was set. It was time to make that dream a reality…

In March of 2013, I went property viewing with my husband and by May, it was a done deal. We’d found the perfect place and it was OURS!

Even though the process flowed fairly easily, our new place didn’t just fall into our laps. It took planning in intricate detail. Spreadsheets; financial forecasts; research; endless meetings, phone calls and negotiations – you get the idea.

And, all the little steps needed to make it real meant us investing time to put those plans into action with regular revisits and tweaks as the process evolved.

Without committing to the goal and mapping out each of the steps it would still be a ‘one day’ dream.

So while I’m planning for my trip right now and looking back at what we achieved to make our Ibiza home happen, it’s got me thinking about the importance of business planning.

Setting my goals and objectives for the year ahead is one of the first projects I’ll dive into when I get to Ibiza.

Mapping it Out

Just thinking about mapping out my goals and plans for the year ahead in a totally different yet familiar environment, with its slower place, beautiful nature, sea all around me (and maybe some sun – please!!) is giving me goosebumps. To say I’m excited is an understatement!

But I didn’t always think that way. For the first few years of my business I knew how I wanted it to look, what I wanted to achieve but I didn’t write it down.

It stayed in my head and I used it as a vague guide to get me where I wanted but I didn’t put pen to paper and make them really real.

I got by okay but when you have big dreams it’s not a productive way to get them done. I could see the benefit of doing so I just didn’t take the time to do the work.

There was always something more important to do or it felt like this huge, overwhelming task that would take too long and be too difficult.

That is until I was introduced to Leonie Dawson’s Create Your Amazing Year Workbooks and Calendars.

Love at First Sight

I absolutely adore these workbooks and calendars.

The Create Your Amazing Year Workbook & Calendar is an amazingly popular and useful tool to help you plan out and make happen your most incredible year in life or business (or both!)

They may look flighty but they pack a powerful punch plus they remind me of the colouring books I used to pour over when I was a kid.

These workbooks and calendars make the overwhelming task of goal mapping a fun, creative experience. (How it SHOULD be!)

Used by entrepreneurs, artists, mamas, creatives, coaches, teachers and women of all ages, the workbooks are packed with pages of powerful worksheets to help you create your amazing year.

Thousands of women have used these workbooks with incredible results. It’s the best planning tool I’ve seen to help make your year the most exceptional yet!

Working it All Out

It all starts with a closing ceremony for the year gone where you celebrate your achievements before committing to your dreams for the year ahead.

The guide presents important questions to help you get really specific on your goals. It helps that it’s all bound together in a colourful workbook with affirmations, fun pictures, fairies, goddesses, and motivational mantras.

Plus, because of the easy to follow way it’s presented, you don’t have to do the entire project in one go.

Booking yourself a Planning Retreat is one way to get your goals mapped (imagine a quiet space filled with your favourite music, bowls of yummy treats, lemon infused drinking water, luxe candles and comfy cashmere socks). Personally, I think it’s fun to return to the project over a number days, so you can marinade over your previous entries, and consider the questions that follow before putting your answers in ink.

What I love most of all is that unlike other goal mapping tools, there’s a calendar so you can plot important milestones and keep track of your progress daily throughout the year.

That’s as important as setting the goals in the FIRST place.

Creating them is one thing but you have to revisit your plans too!

Just like resolutions at the beginning of the year, often within weeks they are forgotten  because we don’t put the tools in place to stick to them.

But having the Create Your Amazing Year calendar to refer to each day helps keep you moving forward towards making your dreams a reality.

There’s even an entry that reminds you to review your workbook each month.

Making Monthly Income Real

The income goal exercise in the calendar is a ritual I look forward to at the beginning of each month. It keeps me striving for realistic financial goals with a little motivational pep talk – each one is different. 

Knowing what I want my year to look like in business and life, how much money I want to make and how I’ll make that happen is one thing. Committing to those dreams on paper, carving out the time in my schedule to take action, and review them regularly so that I keep on track is one of the best gifts I can give myself.

And it will be the best present you can invest in for yourself (or your favourite female who wants to achieve a better life).

Your Turn…

How do you plan out your year, or even your month? Do you keep your ideas in your head and hope to remember them? I’d love to hear what works for you.

And, what’s your BIG dream for 2014? Share in the comments below because writing it down is the first step to making it REAL!