I get it. Starting a new year (and especially in this case, with the beginning of a new decade) can mean that we get to give ourselves a new introduction into who we get to choose to be for this upcoming year. It’s a chance for rebirth and reevaluation. 

And I love starting the year by setting new intentions and affirmations with where I see myself growing over the course of the next 12 months. 

But the whole ‘new year, new you’ thing has for some reason always bugged me a bit. The advertisements, the media – they’re all trying to take a little pluck at that pain point by implying that you probably just don’t feel good enough with yourself, confident in the person that you are.

It’s why I don’t ever make any new year’s resolutions. 

Because — be honest — what’s the first thing you think about when you hear about a resolution? Sure…. I’ll be shocked if this keeps going through the end of the January.

It’s just the harsh reality of the New Year’s Resolution. 

The issue is, there’s no real energy behind the resolution. There’s no feeling, no emotion. It’s all coming from a space of should do instead of true desire.

We create these resolutions as facades based on recency biases to make ourselves feel better leading into the beginning of the new year… and then inevitably proceed to make us feel like shit two weeks later because we made up this fake alteration to our lifestyle that doesn’t coincide with our true internal desires.

“Well, I sure did stuff my face over the last few weeks because of the holidays so I’m going to start the new year off right and go to the gym EVERY DAY.” (Come on)

I used to do the same thing on New Year’s Day. Lock in this pretend promise to myself and then by mid-day I would mentally beat the hell out of myself for not working out on New Year’s because, naturally, that day used to come with a pret-tay, pret-tay wicked hangover. Like, absolutely destroy myself.

Solid way to start the new year, right?

I’m thinking there are probably some more productive ways to set new intentions than by letting a hangover dictate what’s new to come. And worse yet, I’d spend additional time and energy letting loose the attack dogs on my inner ego for not being able to follow a new routine on the first fucking day.

So it’s not about just coming up with a few new practices to start doing just because you’re ‘supposed’ to get healthier.

What are your real true desires? Where you do envision yourself at the end of 2020 and what are the real actions that are going to help you get there? That’s the real exciting work…

I also know that just because the clock ticks to January 1st that now’s the time I have to implement them. You know when the best time to make an aligned change for yourself? Something that you know you’re really excited about possibly changing in your lifestyle? 

Now.

It doesn’t have to be New Year, New You. I hate that. It implies that the ‘You’ that you are isn’t really good enough. And that’s BS.

But we all like to acquire some changes into our daily habits. It’s how we continue to grow and mature. 

What about just a New Year, New….
Way to Think?
Way to Feel Excited About Waking Up Every Day?
Energy to Help Me Kick Ass Every Day?

New Year’s Resolutions are tired… put your energy into something that’s really going to power you through 2020….