There’s a lot of ‘new year, new you’ B*S floating around at the moment. When the clock strikes midnight on New Year’s Eve, let’s be honest from the deepest depths of our hearts we’re praying that the next 365 days are going to be better that the last. Armed with resolutions and goals on how we are going to be a better person, eat better and have the best year of our lives.
First things first, it’s not that I have an issue of with personal development or a desire to progress nor do I laugh in the face of hope. I totally understand the hype around new year and the motivational undercurrent that it plays in many people’s lives. However, I have to be totally upfront and admit that any mention of a trying to find a ‘new me’ filled me with utter dread. Typically a few weeks later, under the grey clouds of winter, trying to manifest my goals just seemed impossible. Everything, and I mean everything was put on the success of these resolutions that I always made with good intentions, but they always left me feeling miserable and like a complete failure.
I’m now in a place where my happiness, dreams, and self-worth will not fall victim to the annual ‘new year, new me’ hype. After years of making resolutions and the overwhelming guilt and disappointment of becoming a failure again, I wanted something better to help me manifest my goals for 2017.
We put an incredible amount of unnecessary pressure on ourselves, to set something in stone to make the next year perfect. However, some of us are lost and have no idea where we are going or who we want to be. You don’t need a new year to change who you are or what you want to become. Perhaps your time isn’t now, your time will come, something will just click to make the magic happen.
Change takes time and doesn’t just happen with the welcoming of a new year. Please remember that everyday is a fresh start – not just the 1st January, the start of a new month or even any upcoming Monday morning. Being happy with who you are and comfortable in your own skin is the first step in moving forward. Loving who you are is the start of everything, it’s truly then when your soul ignites and you find your sparkle that things just seem to slot into place with more ease.
This is why, instead of making resolutions I’ve been mapping my intentions and setting my core desired feelings for the next 365 days. Establishing how I want to feel first instead of what I want to do, just makes so much sense to me now. We often write down these resolutions, but don’t think about how thier going to make us feel if we ever achieve them. What if they make you feel even worse than you did already?
If you don’t have a hint of a plan or any ideas on what you want to achieve in 2017 yet, that’s OK. One day you will wake up and it will all make sense. Whatever point you are in your life, 2017 we got you – the good and the bad!
I am big on making changing in the new year, but changes can’t definitely be made at any time.
Great perspective. I think while it’s good to have goals and ambitions for the year, it’s also unrealistic to think everything will change from day one and to the temptation to give up because it doesn’t is very strong. Small little goals are always better I find to keep me motivated.
I feel like new year has been a good time for me to reflect, but definitely haven’t felt I need to make any big changes to be a ‘new me’. It’s more about thinking than making big plans for changes!
I think this is a great perspective to have. While I support outlining what your goals are for coming year, I also don’t believe that you can only do this at the beginning of the year. As you say, every day can be a new beginning. x
I hate this new year, new you thing. I just think it’s over said and drummed into us all, like something we have to do. I refuse to go along with it
I needed to move on from last year, it was a horrible year, so I have made a list of things I want to change, my main thing is my fitness and weight, but that is more for my holiday in April. I just want this year to be a better year than last year x
I haven’t really had the mindset of new year, new me. I’ve set new goals to better myself but I’m pretty happy within myself right now! xo
Ugh, I so agree with this! I woke up on NYE feeling like it was any other day and i didn’t feel like a New Year was around the corner. Cue New Years Day and lo and behold, I’m the same person and it felt like any other day again !
It’s silly to think you can suddenly change bad habits, give up something bad (I hate when people do this!) etc. I’ve seen a real change this year (at least from people I follow online) where people are saying no to resolutions and yes to intentions and slow, steady changes.
She’s So Lucy // Health, Wellness, Beauty & Lifestyle
Great post. When I was younger I always used to say the ‘New Year New Me’, and then nothing changed!
I love having goals and lists but definitely wont rely on them or think its going to change over night. Its good to keep perspective!
Sometimes the best things happen when you don’t have a plan. I agree, we put too much pressure on ourselves.
Bravo! This is so well written and so very much what I believe as well. It’s not good to set ourselves up for failure so early in the year like we do! It’s silly to expect monumental change just we because the date changed.
I couldn’t have agreed more – I feel like the New Year has become one giant excuse for stores to peddle work out gear, planners and other such. While it is good to take stock of life every once in a while and live mindfully, I don’t see why we should do it only during the month of January!!
I’m planing on focusing on myself this year, but to be honest I should have done this before the New Year. The New Year was just a good opportunity to start x
I don’t like the whole new year new me thing because if you want to make a change in your life do it then and there, you don’t need to wait until a new year to properly start x
I don’t buy this new year new me rubbish either. You are still the same person, just make better choices when you can throughout the year. No need for big dramatic changes that will only stick for a couple of weeks. I set myself life goals of things I would like to do and work towards them as best I can throughout the year
When I was younger I used to make resolutions. Now with two small children my wish is for us all to survive. There is so much pressure put on New Year and January changes.
We love having goals to work towards and NY tends to refocus us. Agreed that you can make ‘that change’ anytime.
Totally agree everyday is a fresh start, I am happy with me anyway, I just have mini monthly goals
I totally agree that a lot of people don’t know what they want or who theg want to be so setting goals and resolutions can be anything but unhelpful! I try though!
All the yes to this! Absolutely. I’ve never been a fan of “New Year, New You!”
I kind of agree with you on this – all the resolutions is getting a bit too much and it’s pointless if we do nothing about reaching those goals we’ve set ourselves.
I love New Year firstly its because its my birthday but I do think its great to set yourself new goals as your able to look back on your year and see where you went wrong – I do stick to my monthly goals throughout the year too tho