Today is the first Monday of the first week of the first month of the first year of a new decade… The air is brimming with possibility and promise. The year Twenty-Ten. Just saying it out loud feels good.

This is the time of year where we are afforded the opportunity to push the reset button and start fresh. Well, really we’re afforded that opportunity every single day, but somehow marking it with such a poignant milestone and the opening of a new calendar feels more significant. I think that’s why we’re drawn to the classic new year’s resolution.

This year I’m undertaking a challenge set out by Debra Joy and Bcelebrated.com: living 2010 as though it were my last year to live. Living 2010 FULLY, with no regrets, holding nothing back, living my dreams as though my life depended on it. Because really, it does.

When I first decided to undertake this challenge I went into a period of denial and fear. What would it mean to my business if I were really only going to live for a year? Wouldn’t this be reckless and risky? Would my relationships change? Would I choose a new lifestyle? Would I spend every penny in the bank to satisfy all my whims? And then what happens on January 1st 2011?

I decided to do it anyways, even though it felt risky and I hadn’t figured it out. It wasn’t actually until a day or two before the new year that I really took the time to assess my life as it is and then my life as it would be in the context of living for only one more year.

Here’s what I learned:

• I am living my passion every single day, and would continue to do so if this were my last year to live.
• I am surrounded by an incredible community of friends and family – some here in Los Angeles, many all over the world – and I am more keen than ever to stay connected closely with them.
• I have had an ongoing goal of running a marathon for several years now, and I realized why I never accomplished it: I focused entirely on the training PUSH, and never the deep self-care that’s a critically important part of the recovery. Just this realization alone led me to find a yoga class this weekend (I haven’t had a regular practice in almost 3 years) and I re-discovered the sheer magic of doing yoga on the beach just for the joy of doing it. I had the best practice I’ve had to date.
• When it comes to business goals, I used to put a lot of pressure on myself financially. And yet financial goals don’t motivate me because that’s not why I do what I do. When I think of a year to live, I am only focused on the people I can help, sharing what I have learned about food to as broad an audience as possible, and continuing to learn as much as I can. These are the things that propel me out of bed in the morning and this is why I built this business in the first place. How reassuring, relieving and totally joy-filled this makes my days!

It is only January 4th and I can already feel the results of living each moment with intention and choice. What would change for you if you were to live this year as though it were your last?

If this has piqued your curiosity and you’d like to learn more, visit the Bcelebrated blog to read about the inspiration behind this challenge and hear what some others are experiencing as a result.

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