I’ve done some version of annual review and planning every year since I can remember. When I was growing up, on December 31st my family would sit in a circle on the living room floor on sofa cushions. We would turn out the lights and my mom would put on some of her woo-woo chanty music (which, of course, I listen to now in adulthood.)

She had a huge book with a soft leather cover that looked like she got it off the shelf at Hogwarts. Our New Year’s Eve ritual began by lighting a candle for the year past, a candle for the year to come, and a candle for the present moment. I remember sitting across from my sister watching the light flicker on her porcelain moon face as we set our intentions as a family.

We each went around and shared completions from the previous year: things we wanted to acknowledge that had happened. For my sister and I they included things like taking our first ballet class or sticking with soccer for an entire season. For my parents they included trips they’d taken or career related accomplishments. My mom would write them all down in the sacred Hogwarts book as we spoke.

Next we shared our intentions for the new year. My dad would voice a yearning for more time out on his sailboat. My mom would share something about the book she was working on. My sister and I would talk about play dates and adventures in the woods.

Each intention was uniquely our own, distinct by stage of life, proclivities, and soul qualities. Each one was recorded in the Hogwarts book for posterity. As a little girl the fact that my dreams were being written down in a big leather bound book made them feel important. It made me feel magical. It wired into my psyche that I can have what I desire. But first, I have to speak up about it.

This past Saturday I sat with a group of women at an event called Radical Sexy Self Care that my friend Thea cooked up. We started the morning going around the table sharing a brag (something we wanted to celebrate about ourselves), a gratitude, and a desire. What struck me the most was that before stating her desire, almost every single woman at the table said, “Wow. This is hard.”

At what point in time did we let it become hard to desire?

When I was a little girl peaking across our little family candle lit coven at my sister it wasn’t hard for me to say what I wanted. I didn’t judge myself for wanting a pink tutu, to play fairies in the woods, or to take a trip to Disney World. I didn’t censor my words. I didn’t put a lid on my glitter and ribbon little-girl desires. My mom wrote my annual desires in her big leather book right next to her financial goals, intentions to deepen her relationship with my dad, and career aspirations. They were important, valuable, and most significantly, right by sheer virtue of the fact that I’d dreamed them up.

Listening to the women on Saturday struggle to state their desires was sad at first, but immediately liberating as soon as they gave themselves permission to say them out loud. My little girl did a twirl each time one of these women let themselves want what they want.

If you don’t have an annual review and planning practice, I invite you to do one this year. Nothing compares to the feeling of being well digested after acknowledging everything that happened in the previous year. And if you have even one creative cell in your body that wants to set something in motion, whether it be a business, a relationship, or a new spiritual practice, you have to let yourself want it first.

Creating a safe, loving container where you’re allowed to want what you want may be the most powerful thing you could ever do for yourself.

When setting goals, laying your intentions, or writing your 2013 desire list (however you want to say it), here are a few things to keep in mind:

• Make it a ritual. Light a candle. Get out some glitter and crystals. Play some chants. Find a Hogwarts book of your own. Make it sacred, like you.

• We tend to over estimate what we can do in a year but under estimate what we can do in a decade. What would it feel like to intentionally leave white space this year?

• Let your little girl come to the planning party. She’s unabashed about her desires. She’s playful. She’s wise. And she hasn’t yet forgotten who she is. Listen closely to her and weigh her desires for rainbows and unicorns just as heavily if not more so than your profit margins and client counts. (My friend Nisha Moodley wrote beautifully about exactly how to include your little girl in the planning party here.)

• Remember that every goal or intention we set is based on some way that we want to feel. Focus on the feeling more than the thing. There are a million ways to create the feeling of freedom that you crave. Releasing your grip on exactly how that feeling will come to pass is one of them. (Danielle LaPorte’s Desire Map drops today. This guide will teach you exactly how to chart your life to feel the way you want to feel more often.)

• Include the people in your life who are most important to you. Plan with your hubby. Ask your daughter what she desires for the next year. At the end of your life you’ll probably remember your candle lit New Year’s Eve with your partner and your kids more than some of the stuff you manifested. Share the love.

Do you have other annual review or planning tools that you love?

Is it hard for you to state your desires? Is it easy? Why?

How do you want to feel in 2013?

Share your thoughts in the comments below!

I was blessed to meet Ophira (aka Ophi) Edut in the live Fire Starter Session we attended back in the day when Danielle LaPorte was still doing these small, intimate gatherings. Our NYC group stuck together continuing to stoke one another’s flames for a good year after the initial meeting and Ophi and I formed a sweet friendship as a result.

For whatever bizarro reason, this is Ophi and my third attempt at an interview for Glimpse TV. Erased hard drives, bad timing, and weird lighting all contributed to waiting this long to experience the Divine Ms. Ophira Edut on my fair online talk show.

But today is the day! I’m thrilled to (finally) share Ophi’s wisdom, humor, depth of knowledge, passion for the stars, and adorable Detroit accent with you. Ophi has been studying astrology for over twenty years and she has some gems for you, so be sure to tune in.

During today’s episode of Glimpe TV you’ll learn:

• why astrology can be a great gauge for timing events in your life
• why human beings actually do come with user’s manuals
• how to use the instructions you came with for optimizing your life potential
• how astrology can actually be a profound tool for freedom instead of limiting you to some sort of pre determinism
• about the 3 year span in everyone’s life that sometimes feels like hell but leaves you for the better
• how to use astrology to become more curious about people instead of trying to make them more like you want them to be

During the video we talk about a really fun class that I’ll be taking with Ophi and her twin sister Tali being offered through Hay House every Monday in October (there’s 5 of ‘em) called Becoming Your Own Astrologer. Watch the interview and then click below the video to join me in class!

Click here to sign up for Becoming Your Own Astrologer

To find out more about Ophi and the AstroTwins, visit www.astrostyle.com. Don’t forget to sign up for their free weekly astrological updates. I read them every single Sunday night as part of my preparation for a cosmically aligned week.

I devoured the book. Reading it every morning became my spiritual practice.

Then I read it by the fireplace because I figured it would help to ignite fires within my soul too. It did.

Then I read it in Hooters because, really, that place could use a little extra soul to go with all the boobs. Plus, the color on the cover kind of matches the shorts that the Hooters girls have to wear. (Note the shorts and rack on the girl to the right of the book.)

This book is the antidote to self doubt. The Fire Starter Sessions had my cells tingling from the first page. Every word, idea, and invocation has been curated to evoke our deepest hunger and deepest knowing. Part wake up call, part affirmation, part love letter, The Fire Starter Sessions will get you hot and bothered. This book is the ignition for the creative work still unborn on this planet that the world is so desperate for. Get the book and be reminded of your genius.

At Danielle’s launch party in NYC on Wednesday night she said:

“Your success is directly proportional to the quality of the relationships in your life.” ~Danielle LaPorte

(CLICK HERE to Tweet this quote)

There is a sea change happening here, people. Danielle is part of a new model that includes commitment to love, generosity, and spiritual actualization not in addition to business success, but as necessary ingredients for it. I was deeply aware and viscerally delighted by the fact that I was surrounded on Wednesday night by people committed to this same reality.

The night was glowy, love-filled, and beyond spectacular – thanks to the tone set by the guest of honor.

Here are some more photos from the evening for your viewing pleasure and to show you how you can expect to feel when you receive your copy!

ORDER IT NOW SO YOU CAN FEEL THE WAY WE ALL FEEL IN THESE PICTURES!

Also included at the bottom of this post is my Glimpse TV episode with Danielle from back in October. It is one of my most favorite and one of the most commented on and re-shared episodes in Glimpse TV history. If you have yet to see it, scroll to the bottom and enjoy!

My sister Ann and I totally psyched about getting our copies of The Fire Starter Sessions.

My friend Ms. Rich Happy and Hot herself, Marie Forleo, enjoying the hell out of celebrating Danielle.

My man Mike and I enthusiastically displaying our new copy of The Fire Starter Sessions.

Launch party co-hosts Marie Forleo, Gabrielle Bernstein, and Kris Carr kicking off the evening love fest telling Danielle how much they adore her and her work. How gorgeous are they?! How breathtaking is it to see super successful women cheering one another on?!

My man Mike, who drove from Pennylvania to be at the party, and the gorgeous Ms. LaPorte.

And finally, as Danielle, dubbed it: a love sandwich :)

Get your copy of The Fire Starter Sessions by clicking HERE. Permission to thrive, love letter, and antidote to self-doubt rolled into one.

And last but certainly not least…Glimpse TV featuring the Divine Ms. Danielle Laporte:

I’m starting my own Camp Fire, a Fire Starter Sessions group, in Portland, ME in May. If you live in Maine or know anyone who does, leave a comment below so I can start wrangling the Fire Starters Down East.

Leave a comment and tell me what lights your fire and your favorite quote from the book so far if you have it!

“The universe loved me enough not to give me what I wanted so I could find out what I really wanted.” ~Agapi Stassinopoulos

The first time I remember becoming aware of Agapi Stassinopolous was when I saw a picture of her falling backwards onto a couch wearing a red dress in sheer bliss on her Facebook profile. I knew nothing about this woman, but I knew I wanted to know her.

And of course, as luck would have it, I found out that I would be speaking along with her and an abundant handful of other impressively inspirational folks at the Hay House Ignite conference coming up in March in San Jose (and again in November in New York City.)

I could go on and on about how warm, loving, genuine, hilarious, and contagiously joyful Agapi is (which you’ll see for yourself when you watch our interview below.) Since you’ll get a taste of it yourself, though, I’ll stick to a few juicy bullets on Agapi as an appetizer. Agapi is:

• The author of Unbinding the Heart: A Dose of Greek Wisdom, Generosity, and Unconditional Love, just published by Hay House this year
• A regular contributor to The Huffington Post
• Not only Greek herself, but also an expert on the Greek Gods and Goddesses and how we can use them to enhance our daily lives
• Very close with her sister, Arianna Huffington
• A trained actress (she trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London)
• Beautiful, inside and out

My dear friend, and previous Glimpse TV guest, Rochelle Schieck introduced Agapi and me and I was thrilled to have the chance to chat with her for Glimpse TV this past weekend. I walked in the door of her apartment and she immediately offered me lunch (so sweet!) and our conversation ran the gamut from love to spirituality to generosity to money to fame.

Tune in for this special Valentine’s Day episode of Glimpse TV to learn how to unbind your heart, a secret technique that Agapi uses to feel more free (she very rarely shares this with the public!), how acting in a bus changed Agapi’s life, and more. Then check out the links below to get a copy of Agapi’s book, connect with her on Facebook, and attend one of the many amazing events she has coming up to promote her book. I may see you at one or two of them!

Tweetables from this episode – simply click to share the love!

“We don’t have to wait for anyone to come and give us permission to have our gift.” ~ @agapisays w/ @katenorthrup on #GlimpseTV http://tinyurl.com/753rgw2

“Life is right now.” ~ @katenorthrup w/ @agapisays on #GlimpseTV http://katenorthrup.maryweise.com/?p=1620

“Don’t ever rush to decide on something.” ~ @agapisays w/ @katenorthrup on #GlimpseTV http://katenorthrup.maryweise.com/?p=1620

“I just give myself permission to trust.” ~ @agapisays w/ @katenorthrup on #GlimpseTV http://katenorthrup.maryweise.com/?p=1620

“Being still and calm is a great gift to ourselves and others.” ~ @agapisays w/ @katenorthrup on #GlimpseTV http://katenorthrup.maryweise.com/?p=1620

More Agapi:

Click here to buy Agapi’s new book, Unbinding the Heart

Click here to connect with Agapi on Facebook

Click here to connect with Agapi on Twitter

Click here to visit Agapi’s website and get your free guided meditation

Click here to RSVP for Agapi’s event with Deepak Chopra and Arianna Huffington in NYC on Wednesday, Feb 15th

Click here to RSVP for Agapi’s teleseminar with Hay House on February 22nd

 More thoughts or tips on opening your heart? Leave a comment and let us know what you’re thinking and feeling!

I was delighted to take in not only Carrie’s gorgeously designed online presence (yay Jennifer Elsner of Viewers Like You) but also the fact that she’s a parenting expert. I was immediately drawn in by her contagious smile and her unusual, yet refreshing perspective on parenthood, and really, humanhood:

By guiding, supporting and inspiring her clients to live the life they are here to live, Carrie‚ encourages living with a wide open and courageous heart.

How awesome to guide people to be amazing parents through guiding them to be amazing human beings? It makes perfect sense, yet I’d never thought of it that way before. Granted, this is most likely because I don’t have kids yet. However, I bet I think about parenting more than the average woman who doesn’t have kids, except Carrie perhaps, because I’m so clear that being a mama is on my future path.

Because I’m so enthusiastic about kids and because being a super present mama was the reason I began pursuing financial freedom I was really psyched to talk to Carrie more. We had the most delightful and insightful conversation just before the holidays that we captured for you on Skype. We chatted about:

• conscious parenting
• the whole reason I started my business in the first place
• how kids are actually here to grow YOU more than you’re here to grow them
• what to do when you’re a mom and you find yourself not liking it very much
• how to resource yourself and why
• Carrie’s Evolve 2012 program where she’ll guide you in rewiring your brain, nice and slow
• a HOT parenting tip you can try immediately (that I’m going to be using with my boyfriend and everyone else in my life) that will make your life easier as soon as you implement it!

Tune in and leave a comment to let us know about your own parenting foibles and tips, how you consciously are becoming better at humanhood, and anything else you want to share!

Click HERE to find out more about having Carrie as your personal trainer for your emotional health this year in her Evolve program.

More Carrie:

Personal training for your emotional health: Evolve 2012

Site: www.carriecontey.com

Twitter: @carrieconteyphd

Facebook

And here’s the Evolve 2012 trailer…I found it very inspiring. Perhaps you will too!