New Year, No New Resolutions

New Year, No New Resolutions

By Julia Salerno, M.S., LAC

3…2…1…the New Year’s ball has dropped and it is that time of year again to convince yourself that you need to make a resolution or two or maybe even three. So, what will it be this year? Lose weight by eating healthy and exercising more, again; promising yourself that you are going to change jobs and find one that will finally make you happy; tell yourself that you are going to be more mindful of a budget this year, perhaps?

We go into the New Year with the best of intentions, to make these goals actually happen. Trust me, I completely get it! There is a part of us that really does want to change! We feel excited, hopefully and even enthusiastic about the idea of working toward something new. But, for many of us, we often give up on our New Year’s resolutions or simply forget about them all together by the end of the month and revert back to our old habits. And this can often make us feel shameful and guilty for not reaching the expectation that we had set out of ourselves. 

So, this New Year, instead of putting pressure on ourselves to make an excessive list of all of the New Year’s resolutions you feel that you have to complete, what if you threw that all out the window?

What if you didn’t set resolutions? Instead, what if you were present and entered the New Year with the intention of just being absolutely present. 

If you can take space and encourage yourself to live in the present and work to maintain this, you are giving yourself the opportunity to do what you actually need and are supposed to do. Encourage yourself to enter this New Year with no pressure(s) to do anything other than opening yourself up to the idea and possibility of being immersed more into the present moment, being more receptive to change and having an openness to show yourself more compassion and curiosity. By being more connected to the present moment, it will allow you to reach achievements that you never planned for and you will truly be amazed to see that unfold.

This New Year, encourage yourself to try something different. Instead of setting the same resolutions you have been setting for years on end, only to feel disappointed in yourself, consider shifting your attention to being more present. Step into the year of 2023 without baggage from 2022 and focus on what feeds your soul and serves you by being connected to the present moment.

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