Happy New Year, Dear One!
Are you getting settled into the new year and ready to make 2017 as amazing as possible?
Except for me still fighting off a cold that won’t quit, I am READY!
I haven’t spoke to you in quite some time so I’ll give a super brief catch up…
The highly short version is….I went back to Italy in November and stayed for a month.
Took 2 weeks of an Italian language course.
Made new friends and brilliant connections.
My mother joined me for the last 2 weeks and we had an incredible adventure together that I will treasure for a lifetime.
And I got to show her my love, the beautiful city of Lucca in Tuscany, and it began to feel like a second home.
Which was the whole reason for my return.
When I left and came back home to LA in October, I felt like something was incomplete about that trip.
I had the aching feeling that I was supposed to go back, specifically to the town of Lucca, that it wasn’t just an accident that I met my now friend Eri the last two days I had been there and she told me about the Italian school she was attending.
I tried to brush it off as post-traveling blues, but I couldn’t shake it.
I debated in my head and heart for weeks…until one night, I decided.
And the decision was I was going to go back.
I was going to take the class and from there, things began to line up.
The plane ticket at a crazy affordable price.
The perfect person to house sit while I was away (which helped me afford the trip).
The perfect Airbnb spot to rent in Lucca.
All of it lined up.
And once there, I had the most incredible people in my class, including a sweet soul named Karen.
One day while at Apertivo (Italian happy hour…it’s pretty much a sin to miss this daily ritual!) with Karen and another friend from class, we began to discuss what each of us do for work…and that’s when she revealed to us that she actually coordinates and organizes retreats professionally.
As the words came out of her mouth, my heart began to beat wildly….hosting retreats for women has been one of my biggest desires since I started my coaching practice.
Year and after year, holding my first retreat has sat on my desire list…but each year, it never happened…not yet.
I was holding out for the perfect place to hold it and for the right support to come my way to help me coordinate it.
So at that moment, it felt like the stars had aligned.
I was in Italy and beyond that,I was in Tuscany, in Lucca, in the most charming, beautiful, captivating of cities that I had fallen in love with, a place that answered why in my heart I knew for years I was meant to come to Tuscany.
And now , in this city, I met Karen who could help me create the retreat I had been dreaming of. And every part of me said yes.
So I am declaring to you that I have decided to hold my first retreat in Lucca, Italy in October 2017.
And I really hope you will be there!
Karen and I are just beginning to flesh out the details, but what I really want to leave you with today is what I have realized are two of the most important words you could ever say, write, declare, and feel in your bones…
“I decided…”
When you’ve decided to do something, there’s certainty.
Direction.
Focus.
Peace.
Excitement.
It’s a completely different vibration than “I’m thinking about…”,
“I might…”, “I want…”, or “I’m hoping…”.
“I decided” is a declaration that leaves doubt in the dust…or rather, even if doubt comes to visit (and it will), it puts you back on track towards where you are going.
It allows for all the circumstances that might have kept you from having your dream/desire realized to fall into place, for all the pieces to line up.
If there is anything of value you can gain from my two trips to Italy in 2016 it’s that once you make the decision, you will find a way. You can trust me on that.
So as we head into 2017, I’d really love for you to adopt the power of “I decided”.
Do me a little favor…
Go grab a piece of paper or your journal.
Let’s do a super quick exercise around this.
(Come on!!!! It’ll be way more useful than Facebook scrolling.)
First, I want you to list 3 things that when you think back to, you can recall making a clear, non-negotiable decision about and they unfolded into reality.
For me, 3 I can think about were:
1. Going to UCLA (that was my dream!!!)
2. Getting my coaching certifications.
3. Breaking free from dieting.
Now that you’ve done this, take a minute to give yourself a little pat on the back for having a clear decision and making it happen.
But now I also want you to get honest and think of 3 instances where you struggled to make a clear decision and the results were muddled.
I’ll be raw and honest here with you…here are three that come to mind for me.
1. Being consistent with emailing you!
2.When my relationship with my former-fiancé was falling apart, what to do.
3. Reaching our for more speaking opportunities.
When there is a lack of clarity and a clear decision, results can be all over the place and/or you can find yourself in a situation where the choice feels like it is being made for you ( and that never feels good). Why we struggle to make a clear decision is tied deeply to fear, and for today we don’t have enough time to get into that aspect deeply, but it’s good to ask yourself what exactly you are afraid of around the decision.
And now for the juicy part….
I want you to think about your 2017.
I want you to give deep thought to what you have DECIDED to create, have, be, experience in this year.
Really feel into this.
Can you decide on at least 3?
How does it feel when you move from wanting it, thinking about it, contemplating it, to actually deciding you will obtain this and move in the direction of it consistently??
If you wan to declare it publicly, feel free to leave it in the comments BELOW. I want to hear all about….and feel free to email me as well.
And please know that if one of your decisions is to getting out of the dieting cycle, to be at a happy, healthy weight, get consistent support around your health and life goals, and even to travel /go on your first retreat, I am HERE to make those decisions unfold into reality.
Want to set up a time to talk?
Email me at Anita@anitaavalos.com and we can definitely do that!!
As always, I’m sending you all my love and support.
And if you are feeling unclear about your decisions, try this…
Declare that you’ve made a decision for the all the right information you need to make the best choice to come your way with ease and grace.
And watch how the Universe conspires to support you.
Love you!
Anita
P.S. LA Ladies….my monthly workshops are back! Our first one is scheduled for January 29th. More details coming soon but mark your calendars now!!
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