9 Things to Remember When Preparing for a New Year
It’s about to be 2024 and soon we’ll be feeling the pressure to dig into our New Year Resolutions, work out everyday, change up our diets, and aspire to uplevel our entire life. But before that hits, remember these 9 things.
1. Just because you set a goal doesn’t mean it’s accomplishable in a year. We often set very large goals, but don’t take into account two important things: 1) everything that actually goes into achieving it. 2) everything else in our life that we must tend to while we’re working on said goal. Responsibilities consume us, life emergencies pop up, and if we don’t achieve our goal by the end of the year, we assume we failed. But that’s just not the case! Instead of saying, “I will get it done this year”, try telling yourself, “I will get as close as I can to accomplishing it this year.” People start at different places. People work at different paces. People have varying levels of daily obligations. All of these factor into the amount of time it will take you to execute. Set a goal because it will make your life better and then work consistently towards it. What you will learn and how you will grow while working towards it over a full year will shock you.
2. It’s really hard to stay motivated in January and February (and sometimes at the beginning of March). It’s natural for humans to slow down and go inward as the season changes to Winter. In Five Element Wisdom, Winter is the time of rest, hibernation, and stillness . . . when nature retreats to build up its reserve for its next cycle of seasons. Not only that, we’re just coming off a super busy 3 months! We tired! But because society demands continual productivity, we’re fearful of slowing down and taking a break. Don’t get trapped into thinking you have to hit the ground running in January with your goals. Let me assure you there’s a reason our bodies and minds aren’t as motivated at the beginning of the year. Embrace it.
3. There’s only so much time to allocate in a year, so don’t overload yourself with a huge list of goals. We’re working with 52 weeks. How much do you have to get done in a normal week? How fast does a week pass? How many weeks do you feel like you got nothing done? Exactly. Be reasonable about how many goals you set for yourself. Start with priorities and then check in halfway through the year. If you’ve knocked some things off the list, feel free to replace them with new goals. But if you haven’t, stay the course with the ones you have. If you go too big and don’t accomplish much, you will once again feel like you failed.
4. Just because it’s not “bikini season” doesn’t mean you should stop your diet and exercise routine. Let’s do a little real talk. People wonder how weight piles on . . . this is one of the reasons. I see it happen again and again. We often overindulge October-December because of holiday foods and a busy schedule. But this shouldn’t carry over for another 3 months. That ends up being 6 months, which is half the year! Sure, you can eat more hearty foods and work out a little less because it’s harder to stay motivated . . . but don’t fall off completely. We all need an extra push to get going and keeping a good exercise routine and healthy diet will help with your energy levels.
5. Don’t miss the opportunity to spend some of this time doing some self-discovery work. There is literally less going on—outside, on tv, in your social calendar, at work (for a lot of you), in schools, etc. Since you have more time to yourself, put it to good use! Remember, our bodies are wired to go inward during the winter months. For example, hire a Coach or a therapist and dig into some things you want to improve, re-work your finances, start a meditation routine, listen to some personal improvement podcasts, or read some good self-discovery books.
6. Get some Vitamin D. If you live in an area that’s cold during the winter, put on a coat, and step outside to get some sun on whatever skin is exposed. Shoot for early morning sun if you can because in addition to Vitamin D, it will kickstart your body’s sleep-wake cycle and keep your circadian rhythm in balance. As a woman who is trying to age gracefully and doesn’t like a lot of sun on her face, I limit the exposure on my face to less than 5 minutes before I put on sunscreen. I do try to stand directly in the early morning sun for 20-30 deep breaths. It only takes a couple minutes—which is all I have before my toddler starts banging on the door. Since we have a lack of this in the winter months, it can really affect your mood so make it a priority. I also invested in a light therapy lamp and it does help!
7. Don’t set a goal without a plan. If you want to accomplish as much as you can around your goal in a year, don’t go into it blindly. When you come up with a goal, spend some time writing down all it will entail. Be as specific as you can. Break it into steps and write out what is required of you. You might find that you have to adjust it as you go—so it might take less or more time than you initially thought—but that’s okay! Lean into it and take pride in the process.
8. Rest and recharge, but don’t become a complete couch potato. Once you get in the habit of doing nothing, it’s hard to break. I believe this is why the people who completely crash in the winter find it difficult to get back into a rhythm. You should always aim to be active in some aspects. When April comes, you don’t want to feel like you’ve wasted 3 months of valuable time! Use it to get a plan for your goals knocked out. Do your taxes so you’re not rushing to get them done at the last minute. Double down on family time. Get some house projects done, make some time to hang with friends, or find some fun events to go to around town.
9. Don’t be afraid to change some shit up. If you really want it to feel like a new year, start doing some things (or something) differently. Quit that job you hate, get out of that relationship that’s going nowhere, start a new morning routine, add more real fruits and vegetables to your diet, switch up your wardrobe, change your hair, and/or stop drinking for a couple months to reset. If something in your life isn’t working or isn’t making you feel good, start the process of changing it. Even the smallest shift can make the biggest impact. By the end of 2024, your life can look completely different.
I hope you read this and thought, “I like how she laid this out. It makes so much sense!” I hope it gave you a fresh perspective. I hope it sparks some new found motivation. I hope it allows you to tap into more self-compassion and grace. And I hope it inspires you to do things a liiiiittle bit different next year. Even though I’m writing this at the end of 2023, you can re-read it at the end of every year and it will always be applicable. Cheers to a happy, healthy, and extraordinary new year ahead. You deserve it.
