Another Way To Kickstart The New Year

Another Way To Kickstart The New Year

Why I’m giving resolutions the 🖕

Here’s a Quick Q: What does January mean to you?

  • A fresh start? Intangible excitement and anticipation? The feeling that ‘this year everything will be different…’
  • Resolutions and goal setting? Dusting off that yoga mat. Scrolling through your phone contacts to see who you missed last year—convinced that this will be the time for a long lost dinner date… 
  • Or… short days and long dark evenings? (And the silent dread of that post-holiday credit card statement arriving in  the mailbox.)

Perhaps, if you’re honest, it’s a mixture of all three… 

But, right now, whether waiting in line at the supermarket or scrolling your phone, all you see are headlines screaming at you to—

Crush 2023!

Hit The New Year Running!

Find Your Purpose! 

New Year, New You, right?

Erm, wrong.

Now, I don’t want to be a Debbie Downer on all this. Sure, it works for some of us (even though 80% of resolutions are forgotten by February). And reinventing ourselves positively towards the future can only be a good thing, right?

Well, truth is I find this all a little nauseating. 

Take ‘finding your purpose’ for example… Dig a little deeper, and chances are you’ll discover purpose in many aspects of your life. (Because truth is, in midlife? What your purpose is today, may not be tomorrow.)

So, if we’re not talking about #Resolutions, #GoalSetting or #FindingYourWow what on Earth can we do to kickstart January? 

Well, I believe it’s time for a non-traditional route…

Yup. It’s time to talk pleasure and joy.

And there are 3 big reasons why this is SO important for women in midlife: 

  1. Much has shifted and changed in our lives. It’s easy to lose sight of what really brings us pleasure and joy—when we were busy checking ALL the boxes we were told to… 

2. In putting everyone else first, we rarely give ourselves time to honor what truly makes us happy. 

3. We’ve forgotten how to get in touch with pleasure or joy. Yet in the doldrums of winter, feeling burnt out, an emphasis on both can help you climb over that hump—and into spring. 

So, how can YOU unlock more pleasure and joy in your life? 

Well, let me ask you 3 simple questions:

  • What fills you up?
  • What warms your heart?
  • What makes you laugh? 

Now, my guess is, you’ve spent so long with your own needs on the backburner that it’s hard for you to extend yourself—and truly answer these questions. 

It might be helpful to ask yourself, ‘when do I find myself smiling? What makes me laugh out loud?’ These simple cues can pinpoint what makes you tick, and what actually lights you up… 

Now, take these cues and translate them into tangible things that actually bring you pleasure and joy.

For example, hanging out with my dogs brings me tremendous joy. For you it might be watching the sunset, connecting with friends, curling up with a good book, sex…(!) 

Fact: uncovering pleasure and joy leads to greater happiness in our lives. 

Because here’s the deal:

Life is challenging. But you don’t have to sit in the heaviness 24/7. 

Finding joy gives you a chance for reprieve, to regroup, and fortify your stamina…

And then, if you want to put it towards those goals? Be my guest 😉

XO

Holly

P.S. It’s not unusual to feel disconnected, feeling it’s impossible to uncover what brings you pleasure and joy in life? No worries. Schedule a free discovery call—and I’ll help you discover what lights you up.