New years resolutions... Starting a new workout regime... Dry January... This diet. That diet... Giving up smoking... Blah blah blah. Is there a moustache in there somewhere? (No Jill, that was November...)
Then there's the other camp - Reflections of my success in 2023! How to slay 2024! Make it your BEST YEAR EVER!
It's all just a little bit much isn't it?
I fully get that January can be a time to press a bit of a reset button, and it gives lots of people the opportunity to put some new boundaries in place and rethink things in their lives. But is it just me or is it literally EVERYWHERE at the moment?! I can seem to get away from it. And whilst my head is in a pretty decent state at the moment - if it wasn't, I think I may be feeling despondent, jealous, like I wanted to give up before I'd started, or any other appropriate word you'd like to swap that out for.
Then there's the very well-meaning:
"If you've managed to get to the end of 2023 and you're still alive then you've won"
...kind of posts which seem a little simplistic - the other extreme. So where do I find myself at the end of this year...? And why do we feel the need to tell other people? Especially on social media?
A Reflection of sorts.
I feel pretty much the same as I did this time last year to be honest with you. I still live in the same house, still married to the same husband, my kids are still in school and doing pretty well in their teenage phases, I still have truly awesome friends, no-one super close to me has died... so I think I call that pretty successful! Weird where that gauge is as we get older, isn't it?!
My work has been stable, I've seen a lot of growth and that continues, I'm super grateful to have a job I love and have worked really hard to achieve. My studies are going really well too, I've made some really good choices where that's concerned and I have a passion for learning that I never thought possible.
Health wise it could be better. If you know me personally you'll know that I have incurred a back injury which has become a problem in my life over the last seven months and has stopped me from doing a lot of the things I love, I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it will improve to some degree in the new year and I'll be able to get back to a bit more normality.
If you know me professionally and only on screen then that will be news to you, I've hidden it really well.
So while I have planned the first three months of 2024 - what I really wanted for Christmas was a new back - unfortunately Santa wasn't that kind, so it rolls into 2024 and my hope will be some improvement on that front. Or back. Other than that I'm keeping it super simple and I recommend you do too.
My advice to you.
Three good things. I talk to my clients a lot about finding three good things in their day. If you can, try to find three good things about 2023.
And maybe then choose three hopes for 2024.
If you're going to make a new years resolution - choose one. Just one. And work out how you can make some little changes in your life to help you make that resolution a little bit easier.
Remember that if you slip up for a day or two you still have three hundred and however many days to reset and choose it again.
If you're going to create some work or life goals to work towards make them super specific and super manageable. I like to work to a 90 day plan personally - and each month has just a few things on the list, don't over complicate it. And if you don't achieve some of the things one month just bob them onto the next month - no-one will ever know!
One thing I'd like to do differently in 2024 is to take more holidays. This year was my first full year in pp and I wanted to see how I managed with 2 weeks off in the Summer and 3 weeks off at Christmas. I want to implement an extra week or so maybe in Spring in 2024 as it just didn't feel quite enough. And I'll keep tweaking that until it feels right for me and our family.
For me professionally 2024 will be about finishing my core studies, releasing my coaching programme (exciting!) and releasing my podcast (better get recording some more!) as well as continuing to build and stabilise my private practice. Nothing major, all will take some effort but not too much and all seem really manageable. What with that plus taking a little more time off and sorting my back out that sounds like enough for me! Done!
So where do you sit?
What little things can you tweak to make your life a little easier? A little better? A little happier?
While I've been writing this I've been ruminating on why I feel the need to write this as a blog post instead of just keeping it to my 90 day plan file on my desktop. And my thoughts are two-fold:
To help anyone reading this take the pressure off themselves for needing to create crazy unobtainable goals which don't last past the first two weeks of January (you know what I mean - we've all done it)
To make myself accountable. I work really well on accountability. If I say I'm going to do something out loud - I do it. If I keep it as a fleeting thought - it might happen, might not. And if I don't even think it - it will not happen.
So this is as much for me as it is for you. And if you're not in the place at the minute to even think about what you want to be different - that's okay too. You do you. Be true to yourself. And I wish you all the best with it.
See you on the flip side. Much love,
Jill x
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