This was originally published on AllBusiness.
While we're nearly a couple of months into the year, I'm still thinking about how I want to make this year a great one, especially after the last few.
If you didn't create resolutions at the start of the year, why not take time now to establish goals?
I get that a lot of people are resistant to creating resolutions they feel will never come to fruition and that will be forgotten by January 19. Personally, I love resolutions and use them as a sort of guide for how I want my year to shape up in both business and personal aspects.
This year I decided to bring in a little help.
Meet the Goddesses
Angels. Spirit guides. Ancestors. Higher Self. The energy I want to talk about here goes by many names, but given my love of mythology, I like to work with Goddess energy. What does this mean? Essentially I embody the characteristics and energy of a particular Goddess and harness it to achieve my goal.
So if I want to feel like a fierce warrior and be more assertive with a difficult client, I could call on Athena, Greek Goddess of War. If I wanted to step up my self-love, I’d call on Aphrodite, the Greek Goddess of Love. And so on. There are literally millions of Goddesses in different cultures, so there is one for anything you could possibly want help with! Which Goddess can help you achieve business success?
I’d like to highlight certain Goddesses who can bring the right energy we need right now.
Kali: Releasing What No Longer Serves
You may have seen images of Kali and wondered why I’d bring such a fierce and frightening Goddess out first thing. Kali is intimidating, but she is known for helping us let go of what’s not serving us.
What could you let go of in your business? Maybe you have a client who insists on calling you on the weekends and working you to death. Perhaps it’s time to let go of that professional relationship.
Or maybe you offer a product or service that hasn’t been selling well. It could be time to clear it out to make room for something else.
That’s the thing: to make room for fresh ideas and prosperity, you have to clear out the “junk.” So what can you let go of?
Tip: Even physically cleaning out your office or home can put you in the right clearing energy to welcome in the new.
Brigid: Inviting Creativity
I don’t know about you, but by the holidays I’m a bit burnt out. I need a break. Often, taking a week off is what I need to recharge and rediscover my creativity.
Brigid is the Celtic Goddess of Creativity, and she’s here to help you rekindle that spark that may have sputtered out. She invites you to step away from work, to see things from a different perspective, and to allow in new ideas that could get you excited about work again. Now that you’ve cleared away what isn’t working, there should be plenty of room for new ideas.
Where do you feel creatively stifled? What can you do to step away from that to allow it to air out? How can the Goddess Brigid help you achieve business success?
Tip: Keep a notebook or your digital notes on your phone handy when you take time off because, trust me, ideas will come out of nowhere.
Saraswati: Allowing Wisdom In
Being a successful entrepreneur is a moving target. We can never rest because there is always something new to learn. Technology is moving more rapidly than any of us can keep up with, and our industries constantly have new innovations and processes we have to embrace.
Saraswati, Hindu Goddess of Knowledge, opens us up to more wisdom. It’s easy to keep your head down in business without looking up to see the big picture, which requires more learning, so now is a great time to assess what you need to learn in the new year. Maybe a new type of software? Or perhaps creating processes that will make work easier for you and your staff?
Tip: Learning can come in any form, so pick the one that resonates most: reading articles or books, listening to podcasts, or watching webinars or videos.
Lakshmi: Calling Forth Abundance
I’ve saved the best for last! Lakshmi is the Hindu Goddess of Abundance, and she’s the Goddess who will help us make the year fruitful.
Lakshmi wants us to get specific about what we want. If you want to make more money in your business, be specific. How much do you want to make: 10% more than last year? 20%? More than that? Do you want to increase the number of clients you have? How many more could you handle?
A lot of attracting abundance is simply believing we deserve it, and that can be tough for many of us. If you’ve had a challenging relationship with money, she’s the Goddess you can work with to overcome those obstacles and welcome wealth in. It may take practice to believe you are worthy of abundance, but take it from me, a recovering “I’m not worthy” acolyte: the change can happen.
Tip: Wanting more money is often not really about wanting money, so when you ask Lakshmi for what you want, ask for the thing or feeling you want the money to do. For instance, maybe you want $5,000 in your savings so you feel safe and prepared in case of an emergency. Or you want $2,000 to go to Hawaii with your boyfriend for a romantic getaway. Get beyond the actual cash to what you really want.
Let the Goddess Guide You to Business Success
Each of these Goddesses has a specific energy focus that we can all use in the coming year. If you’re so inclined, you could light a candle and sit for a few minutes with an image of each Goddess (one at a time, as some get jealous of the others). Imagine what it would feel like to fully embrace your creativity, for example, or to allow abundance in. What other ways could a Goddess bring you business success?
Whether you work with Goddess energy or not, do take some time to reflect on what’s working and what you want to bring in this year.