Welcome 2023 with Intent

The New Year Doesn’t Have to be About Creating a New You.

What if instead, the new year was about loving you, the way you are right now?

We have all heard the ‘New Year, New You’ messaging. It’s catchy and motivating. Everyone likes having a cheerleader in their corner. But, what are these mantras looking to accomplish? The companies behind them typically focus on the negative and more importantly, want to cash in on the very lucrative marketing ploy that you should be somebody other than who you are.

Let’s turn this concept on its head. Start with the things in your life that bring you joy and prioritize getting more of that in your life! One way to do this, is to identify a phrase that represents happiness for you and focus on that for the year. For example, you might find that regular exercise helps you to stay grounded and feel accomplished. These feelings lead to being more present for the other things in your life and more content overall. In this case the word you choose might be: active.

There’s all types of ways to start the process: make a list, create a brainstorm/mind map, doodle, look through your pictures, search your social media and so much more. 

Once you have the word or phrase for the year, it can be helpful and fun to create ways to remind yourself of your intended focus – create a sign, draw, write it on a post-it note, find a journal with the word on it – once again, this process is about you and what you enjoy.

Remember to be Kind, to You!

Just as important as approaching your life with intent, is being flexible and kind to yourself. If you want to add a gym hour to your day, and you have enough energy for that, wonderful!  If you need to rest, schedule a nap for yourself during the day, call it a ‘meeting’ and get some extra z’s – which is equally as wonderful. The process is fluid and does not always follow a straight path. 

I intend to focus on Rejuvenation + Boundaries for 2023

For 2023, I was going to focus on the phrase: Rejuvenation.

At first when I thought of the word, activities came to my mind that could help me feel rejuvenated. More days at the gym, eating healthier, maybe getting my nails done or a massage.  But the more I thought about it, additional actions in my life just felt even more overwhelming, and for anyone going through burn out as many of us are, even adding healthy self care activities can feel daunting.

So instead I’m adding a second word: Boundaries. Think of it as a two part process, where I create healthy boundaries around people and activities that cause stress and add rejuvenating self care activities that lessen my feelings of overwhelm.  

Whatever 2023 looks like for you, I wish you kindness, support and good health.

Be well,