Avoiding and Embracing
Happy New Year!
We have made it through the first week of January. Although, this is the week that I consider to be the actual first week back to reality after the holidays. Instead of jumping in fast and furious, I am still easing myself in, slow and steady.
Yes, there are a lot of things I want to accomplish in 2025, but I have learned a lot about myself over the years. I am really good at planning and dreaming and list-making. I am also really good at getting overwhelmed when I look at all that I’m trying to tackle. Overwhelm can lead to inaction and I only get a small percentage of those dreams accomplished.
Not this year.
Not to say that I haven’t been making my lists and dreaming about all the possibilities - I’ve definitely been dreaming and scheming! Pulling out my planner, notebook and highlighters is my favorite way to spend New Year’s Day! While planning mode has been activated, there are a few things I am avoiding.
Things I’m Avoiding and What I’m Embracing Instead!
AVOIDING: The urge to download another guide to help me set goals, work through my annual plan, or guarantee to make this my most successful year yet if I only follow these simple steps! I am a sucker for a “quick win” and “handy dandy guide”. I have a million of them and I’ve used many of them, but I already know what I need to do! So instead…
EMBRACING: I’m trusting myself and the knowledge I hold. I’m sticking with the tried and true SMARTER goals (Specific Measurable Actionable Risky Time-bound Exciting Relevant) and limiting myself to one big goal a quarter for my business and one big goal a quarter for my personal life. This is manageable and exciting to me. There are only so many hours in the day and many of them are already taken up by other responsibilities and necessities like eating and sleeping.
AVOIDING: Having a “regular” week. When Monday January 6 rolled around, I caught myself saying, “back to regular life after the holidays” and I had a bodily reaction to that low energy vibe. Instead…
EMBRACING: I flipped that attitude around and told myself to have an “irregular” week! What does that look like? Instead of listening to a podcast while getting ready for my day, I turned on music and danced around while I picked out my outfit, did my hair and gathered my supplies to conquer the world. I’ll still listen to my deeply inspiring and motivating podcasts, but later in the day when I really need the boost! It looks like reaching for a glass of water or herbal tea instead of coffee in the afternoon. Drinking coffee is my favorite pastime, but I know I need to reduce my caffeine intake. It looks like getting messy with my art supplies instead of sitting on the couch drawing in Procreate while watching TV.
AVOIDING: Comparison. You know that feeling in your body when you start to compare your life and progress to what you are seeing from someone else. It’s icky and demotivating. This easily happens when scrolling social media, but it can just as easily happen out in the real world. When I start scrolling on Instagram I get a boost of inspiration and feel entertained. If I stay on it too long, that’s when comparison sneaks in. Instead…
EMBRACING: The moment I feel that twinge of comparison in my body, I take a moment to ask myself what is making me feel the ick and is that something I truly desire for myself, or a societal expectation that I’m feeling like I should desire? If it’s something I truly desire, I get off social media and I do something to move me closer to my desires. If it’s a societal expectation that doesn’t align with my desires, I get off social media and do something to move me closer to my actual desires. Either way, when scrolling stops being inspirational and fun, it’s time to do something else!
What are you embracing in the new year? I’d love to hear about it! Send me an email here.