I hope that regardless of what you are celebrating or where you are in the world that you have a blissful gathering of loved ones around you. As for me, I am spending these days with my entire family -including grandma and grandpa- assembled at my dad's in Switzerland. Check out the sunrise on my first morning at home. Glorious, isn't it?! Seeing this natural wonder -the sun climbing up behind the mountain, then dipping the world into this pinkish golden light- unfold right in front of me, never fails to infuse my life with a richer, warmer, and more loving perspective.

sunrise in Hergiswil

Before I move on to today’s post, I just want to take a minute and say THANK YOU!

Thinking back on 2012, I can barely believe all of the things that happened and especially all of the amazing people who have entered my life.

The biggest thing for me was that I started my coaching business, which truly embodies all of my passions combined. I get to create support and guidance programs that are making people feel alive, in love with who they authentically are, and allowing them move forward with clarity and confidence. I cannot think of anything better than that and I especially cannot tell you how amazing this makes me feel. All of this would not be possible without you, which is why I want to express my most genuine thanks to all of you: my clients, my readers, my friends, my family, and my boyfriend, Rasmus who must be the most patient human on this planet. I could not have taken this enormous step without all of you.

But now, because we are forward thinkers, here are 3 things you need to know (and DO) to kick off 2013 all fresh and clean (of course there are hundreds of things you can do, but in the spirit of being realistic, let’s just stick to the top 3 ;)):

1) Forgive and let go. Yup. It’s time. Don’t drag 2012’s trash into 2013. Don’t do that to yourself. You see, forgiving someone does not mean you are letting this person off easy, it merely means you are setting yourself free from negativity. Take a piece of paper and write down all of the names of people and what they did that makes you angry, sad, irritated, frustrated, whatever it may be and say to yourself “I am giving myself permission to release these people and situations out of my life.”

Look, I am not saying you have to go back flying into the arms of people who have hurt you. In fact, you don’t even have to make friends with them again or write endless forgiveness letters. I am just saying that for you -in your own sweet core, in your own wonderful heart- let this person, this situation, these hurtful words fade away. You deserve to be free of negativity. This is the only way for you to shine your brightest light.

2) Unsubscribe. Do you wake up every morning to 100 emails, 95 of which are from airline companies, hotels that you checked in for one night 5 years ago, organizations you donated to a long while back, and fashion websites that are way out of your price range? Is that a nod? No wonder you are overwhelmed. Even though you end up just deleting most of these emails anyway, it is still a shock every morning when you are confronted by your flooded inbox. External chaos created internal chaos (and vice versa) -a clever sentence I learned from Marie Forleo.

Unsubscribing from all of the emails that are just clouding your perception for the amount of work coming at you from your inbox, will take you max 30 minutes. Every single minute is so worth it. Think about this to calm your nerves: The website will not simply disappear because you are no longer a subscriber. You can always go on and find whatever you are looking for. The difference is that you are actively choosing when to consume something instead of being a totally swamped and passive absorption machine.

3) Choose 1 word to focus on in 2013. I was introduced to this exercise by a friend of mine about a year ago and loved its simplicity and simultaneous power. Basically, you choose one word that will serve as your guiding principle for 2013. One word, that’s it! What do you need more of? What would you like to manifest in 2013? What is the next step you would like to take? What would be a positive turn considering where you are right now?

To give you an example, last year, my word was “Space” by which I meant to create the physical space for myself to tune into what I really wanted as well as to give myself mental space in terms of time. I have thought about this word many times throughout 2012 and it was a simple yet very powerful reminder during times when I felt stuck. Try it. Perhaps write down a couple of words that are appealing to you and then choose the one that sticks out most. Try this exercise with your loved ones. It’s a great way to connect and engage. Here are a few words to get you started: creation, embodiment, elaboration, movement, deepening, expansion, trust, giving, receiving, self-love, respect, self-integrity, lightness, ease, harmony… tune in to what YOU want to invite.

Sending you and your loved ones loads of love, happiness, and light. May you finish this year with a deep sense of comfort in who you are and who you are becoming every second of your living life. Know that you are unique and that this uniqueness is perfect just the way it is.