By Anita Kopacz
Photography by Kesha Lambert

This is it!  This is the year!  Don’t let anyone tell you any different.  Proclaim that 2011 will be the best year yet!  It all starts with your attitude. Yes, there are many more ingredients to success, but your attitude is the foundation upon which you build your kingdom.  In Michael Jackson’s song “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’ ” he says, “I believe in me, so you believe in you!” They are words to live by, words to build your foundation.

The first step in creating the new you is to be honest with yourself about your life situation: What areas of your life can use a makeover?  Where are you settling?  What do you think you deserve?  When you answer these questions, go deep down because your surface answers may be a symptom of your unrest.  For example, an insecure person may answer the question “What do you think you deserve?” with limited possibilities. He or she may say,  “I just want to be happy,” instead of,  “I deserve to experience the divine joy that is my birthright as a child of God.”

Once you have a steady, honest foundation, make your list of intentions.  Be frugal with your demands.  It is better to meet and complete a small list than to feel overwhelmed with a large one.  Ask someone to hold you accountable.  The energy is exponentially multiplied when you share your intentions with someone you love.  Post your list of intentions on this blog, and we will hold them in the light.

Life is good.  Our perceptions and judgments of our experiences are what make us feel otherwise.  Let us clean our slate and see the divinity in every moment. From the foundation of love, let us move forward in this momentous New Year!

Here are our goals for January:

Spiritual: Last month, we worked on practicing five-minute meditations three times a week.  This month, we will bring that up to five times a week.  We all have a direct communication line to the Divine.  These meditations will work on clearing the static and heightening our awareness.  Follow your breath during the meditation; bring awareness to the rhythm that sustains your life.  Make sure to take note of any inspired thought.

Mental: Write down your list of intentions for the New Year.  Be as creative as you wish, writing everything in the moment.  For example, “I am joyfully running on my treadmill three times a week and loving it!”

Emotional: Practice four acts of kindness.  Take note of how each experience makes you feel.

Physical: See the next page for the full Diet Challenge of the Week from nutritionist Madame Athena.

Welcome to Uplift at UPTOWN. If you are just joining us this week, my name is Anita Kopacz.  I am an author and spiritual adviser with a passion to see people thrive!  Collective energy possesses a divine power that can remove stubborn obstacles and open locked doors.  My intention is to join our UPTOWN family in spirit and forge our return to healthy living.  With the Well-Life Maintenance program, together we will take small steps in four areas of our lives to improve our quality of living.  The four areas include Spiritual, Mental, Emotional, and Physical.  You can find more in my new book, Finding Your Way: Alphabetical Keys to the Divine.