As the year draws to a close, many mums will be finding that their schedule is becoming more and more hectic. Does your ‘to-do’ list look a little something like this?

• Make the Christmas cake
• Order the turkey
• Find an angel outfit for Alice’s nativity
• Find a suitable teacher’s gift for less than £5
• Dissuade the kids from spending too much on their friends’ Christmas presents
• Find a suitable Secret Santa present for the boss…
• Review savings for Christmas presents
• Write Christmas cards
• Ask Aunty Nell what colour slippers she would like this year
• Buy de-icer
• Fix windscreen crack before the frost comes

… and on it goes!

Well, here is an extra task for you and, before you groan, this one is designed to make your life better in 2010 and beyond! Take some time out to evaluate 2009 and what sort of year it was for you. Root out those resolutions you made twelve months ago and assess how many you achieved and which are still relevant and outstanding. Consider all the things you would have liked to have done this year but didn’t manage to get round to. Did you get to spend enough quality time with your partner and family, for example?

Consider whether the year was good, bad or plain ugly. Perhaps you’ve had to deal with a major trauma in your life, such as a separation or the loss of a close family relative. How do you feel about this event now? How well are you truly coping?

On the other hand, perhaps 2009 has been a complete success – congratulations! If you enjoyed swimming with dolphins or launching your own business, celebrate your success and feel proud about your achievements. Try not to get too caught up in the moment – try to plan next year’s goals so you can enjoy the same great feelings at the end of 2010!

However 2009 turned out for you, identify your true feelings towards the events you have experienced and decide how you are going to move forward into the New Year with a positive mind and an enthusiastic drive for life. Here are some top tips to help you learn from your experiences, overcome negative issues and plan a brighter, healthier and happier future full of confidence, balance and joy:

• Be completely honest with yourself about what you wanted to achieve in 2009 and whether you had some success. Only by facing up to your situation will you begin to make it better.

• Celebrate the successes and good times you enjoyed this year – reflection and evaluation isn’t all doom and gloom!

• Assess how much quality time you have spent as a family and begin to think of ways to improve on this next year, if this is important to you.

• Identify the goals you failed to achieve and analyse why. Are any of these reasons valid? For example, did someone laugh at your idea for a new business so you ‘forgot ‘ about it? What right did they have to make you feel this way?

• Are any past experiences holding you back from achievement? Let the past go - you cannot change it now.

• Do you have a ‘little voice’ in your head that keeps you from pursuing your aspirations? Try to recognise when this happens and put measures in place to counteract it. This voice is made up of your limited, unfounded beliefs and should be controlled by you – not you by it!

• Take control of your life by taking responsibility for your choices. Don’t blame others for your mistakes. Be empowered to live life on your terms.

• Ensure you learn from every life experience – good our bad – they make you the woman and mum you are today.

• Draw a line under 2009 and prepare yourself for a fabulous 2010! You can achieve this by being confident, overcoming thoughts that hold you back and living life according to your rules.

If you still feel uneasy about your ability to leave past experiences behind or wish to have support in planning your future, Empowering Mums is here to help you. We offer a free thirty-minute telephone session to discuss your personal situation and to clarify whether personal coaching is right for you. You really have nothing to lose and everything to gain – contact Empowering Mums now!

Start your journey today – achieve confidence, balance and joy.

If you have enjoyed this article, Empowering Mums produces a free monthly newsletter, Empower, which aims to support mums on their journey towards achieving confidence, balance and joy. Please use the newsletter sign up box to the top right of this screen to subscribe to the latest issue of Empower.

Empowering Mums enables mums to live their dreams and aspirations, to become confident, balanced, fulfilled and happy women. We work by supporting and encouraging mums to take ownership of their lives, make positive changes, fulfil their potential and live their lives to the full, achieving life-long ambitions and goals in all aspects of their life. Become the woman you strive to be and live with intention, not regret! Contact Empowering Mums today on 01606 785 357 or visit www.empoweringmums.co.uk for more information.