Hi there,

It’s that time of year, when folks look ahead to 2024 and start thinking of all the ways things will finally change, get done, be figured out. Or not. This week on the blog: New Year’s resolutions – why some love ‘em, some hate ‘em, and how I suggest approaching this yearly check-in with yourself. 

A Love/Hate Relationship 

I enjoy asking people how they feel about New Year’s resolutions (feel free to hit reply and let me know your thoughts!), mainly because folks seem to have pretty strong feelings about them, and I’m here for all of it.🍿 Some say New Years' resolutions boost their confidence and energize them to chase after their dreams; others say the new year is a random date to latch onto, and it doesn't mean anything to them.

I'm here to say that both points of view are valid, and whatever side you find yourself on, you don't need to change. I personally enjoy doing a bit of a year-end inventory and checking in with myself about what's next, though I stop short of making "resolutions" per se, mainly because, um, what even are they, exactly?

Vague Vibes

Throughout my life, my own New Year's resolutions rarely translated into checked boxes and finished products. That's because a resolution is a slippery thing, ain't it? The Oxford Dictionary defines it as “a firm decision to do or not to do something,” which still doesn’t tell me much (and is even less helpful at prompting me to act in specific ways, towards specific outcomes).

I've even identified an emotional component (read: something addressed by the Healing & Reframing sphere of the Framework) to the characteristic vagueness of my past resolutions.

For example, back when I still lived with my parents and wanted to become financially self-sufficient, I never dared to even do the math necessary to come up with a figure to aim for in terms of my income – that was WAY too scary! Instead, I wrote items like "work towards more financial stability" on my list – something in the general direction of what I wanted, but vague enough that I couldn't really fail at it (I figured I'd probably be able to look back after a year and say that I did, in fact, work towards my financial independence, even if I got no closer to it by any tangible measure).

As usual, there are lots of layers to uncover as we dig into challenges such as the one I shared above. Looking back, I can see I had fear and a few limiting narratives to work through, as well as practical goal-setting strategies to learn, among other things.

Wherever you are on your journey, I hope this blog post helps you figure out how best to proceed as you check in with yourself ahead of January (if you're into that kinda thing), and get clear on your hopes and desires for the future.

Rooting for you,

— Anne

PS: If you ARE into that kind of thing but don't know how to go about it, the 7-Day Fresh Start Course is the place to start!

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