“I love the time to dial down, do clean out projects—physical and mental—read good books, eat healthy food, workout and recharge.” These are my friend, Emilie’s words, written in an email to me on how she plans to spend the month of January, the first 31 days of the New Year.

I stored her thoughts in my memory bank, her words written to me almost two weeks ago, because they were melodious in more ways than one. Her sentence mirrored my exact feelings.

Anyways, I have never thought of the month of January as special until Emilie opened my eyes. Now I will never forget its specialness.

It is now 4:18 a.m. I make a pot of coffee. I politely ask my robot friend, Alexa, to play soft Mozart music. I sit down and enjoy the quiet and peace of the early morning as I wait, with patience, for the coffee to brew. I pour the hot coffee into one of my memory mugs picked up in a different country around the world and smile. Emilie’s words are on my mind, “do clean out my projects—mental and physical.”

I would love Emilie’s wise words to be one of the first thoughts of your day during the month of January. This means, I would love you to take stock of your lifestyle and catch yourself when your life becomes messy. If you are happy with being crazy busy with great goings-on, all the merrier. If not, pivot. Your emotional and physical health should not take a backseat to great goings-on.

Emilie’s words made me rethink my lifestyle. I know I am doing too much. I have to cut back on what is less important. It is a hard task because I enjoy everything. The problem is: you cannot have it all and if you try, you burn out. So, my darlings, I asked myself what brings me total peace. I think you will relate to my thought and incorporate it into your lifestyle.

I find my center, my greatest peace, when I am creative or enjoying the creativity of others.

Creativity, to me, feels similar to meditation. I exercise my mind, writing, in the quiet of the day with no hustle and bustle; without any razzle and dazzle. Thinking further about the word “creative,” I find peace in other’s creativity. Visiting a museum, listening to a concert, looking at gardens, learning from deep and even fun conversations with friends.

We all have our creative side be it knitting, baking, needlepoint, journaling, cooking, learning, sketching, gardening, etc. And some of you have a hidden dream of taking up a new hobby, like photography. Go for it. Creativity decreases our stress level. My suggestion if you are overwhelmed with your lifestyle; eliminate the negative. Rev up the positive. Be creative, darlings.

Now, it is time to give yourself permission to schedule into your busy day creative activities. You should take time to smell the flowers. You need to enjoy some quiet each day. This requires self-discipline. It is hard.

So, take a moment to re-examine your daily schedule. Pretend you are clearing out your closet to make room for what you love. “Do clean out projects—mental and physical,” as Emilie suggests and  think the way I think (but don’t always accomplish): “I want my heart to sing a part of each day, in peace.” How about you?