When I was a teen my girlfriends and I use to scramble to get the January issue of Cosmopolitan magazine.  That was the issue that had the horoscopes outlining what great things were in store for you in the year ahead.

Of course being Cosmopolitan, your horoscope was also guaranteed to have something in it about love and hot romance which was just the ticket for us back then when we were dreamy (and perky) 17 year olds.

Fast forward a few decades and my girlfriends and I are still looking for that inspirational outlook for the new year.  Sure we’re a little less perky and Cosmopolitan doesn’t quite do it for us anymore (and I don’t want to do half the things they suggest we do!), but we still need that new year carrot to kick start our year.

Now that many of us are moms of kids who are off to college, or will be in a few years, we’re looking for a different kind of inspiration.  For me it breaks down this way:

I’ve raised children that give me joy (on the days they’re not driving me insane), I’ve developed a deep love for the fellow on the couch watching the Rose Bowl game (and that took some effort after the honeymoon glow subsided) and I’ve found the career and business that give me satisfaction.

I’m now entering another phase of life.  I want to recapture some of the sizzle of previous years, without losing my sense of comfort. But let me speak in even plainer terms.  I want to lose weight, get back my energy and stop looking like someone’s soccer mom who’s had too many coffee and donuts.

Now that my 40’s are the new 30’s I’m feeling pretty excited about this period in my life.  I know this knocking back the decades game is all a gimmick but I’m actually inspired by that line of thinking!

The truth is we have a lot of living to do after the kids have grown and if we don’t acknowledge that, we’ll be missing out.  Being a mentor to our young adults, starting that business that we always wanted, being of service to those in need and finally seeing those places we always wanted to visit will take energy and resources that we have to cultivate.

So the planner in me is taking control this year and being purposeful about grabbing hold of those things in life that make me smile, think and take action!

The picture in this post is a beach in Ocho Rios, Jamaica.  Every time I visit Jamaica I come back rejuvinated and so inspired.  Some days that picture could just as easily be my backyard! What are the places, people or events that inspire you?