While January has the reputation for newness and reinvention, does anyone else find it a little overwhelming?

After the rushing, stress, highs, lows, excitement, anxiety, get togethers, dramas, and all the emotions of the holidays, the idea that you flip a switch and change on Jan 1 is a lot of pressure to put on one month. Or yourself.

Say Good Bye to the Pressure of Resolutions

I would be lying if I said I didn’t love the cleanse. The shedding of the past year.  The freshness of something new. But that doesn’t mean I need to put extra pressure on myself just as the new year begins.  

Previously, I would make grand resolutions:   Cut out this food.  Get up 2 hours earlier. Fit into this size.  You know the drill.  But when you really get to the heart of what those big changes mean, you’ll see that there is a way of life you are trying to obtain.  So how do you get to making the choices every day to give you that life?  Here are a few things that have helped me:

The appreciation of where I started and how far I’ve come. 

We’re all a work in progress. Understanding what you are capable of will give you the knowledge that you can still go further.  I keep all my old journals and even look back at my planner to see how I spent my time. 

Small mindset changes are worth more than grand resolutions.

Let’s go back to the wake up early example. When I see or hear the original resolution of ‘Wake up earlier’, my mind goes to ‘torture yourself with a jarring alarm wake up call and push yourself out of bed even though you’re tired to take care of everyone in the family“.  Not really sparking motivation.

But what I was trying to accomplish was having enough time to myself in the morning to not yell at my kids as they get ready.  To start my day feeling positive.  If I think of how I want a peaceful start to my day, that mindset will drive me to hit that target way faster.  ( I still yell at my kids, but the day doesn’t START that way.  It’s just those last ten minutes after I’ve asked them to brush their teeth for the 100th time. But I digress).

Playing the long game. 

Jeff and I say this to each other all the time.  It’s a way to remind ourselves that you don’t want to be short sighted.  Like burning yourself out in the month of January to only quit by February.  Or not investing in yourself upfront.   Again, be mindful of the choices you make and determine if it’s a band aid or truly addressing the deeper problem.  

Positive Perseverance.

You’re going to stumble.  You’re going to have a bad day.  You are going to doubt yourself.  Know that those waves are just part of the ocean. These setbacks are just part of the process. So while they may happen, it just gets you close to the smooth sailing ahead.

The grass isn’t greener on the other side, it’s where you water it. Grow and nurture the things that bring you joy.

Bring in the Inspiration: Create a Mood Board

I started this practice last year and I’m keeping it.

If you’re over making resolutions, try a mood board instead.  This visual representation of the things you love, how you want your life to feel , or things you want to try will really bring the inspiration. Let’s say you want to travel to a new place, find the image of what that looks like in your head and add it to your board.  I just save posts on Instagram in a collection.

I hope that kicks off your new year in the right direction.  If you want to keep in touch, join my weekly newsletter.

Sending peace, love and light.

Kellie