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Friends,
We are now well into 2019 and I know this is going to be a good, good year! But there has been something on my mind that I wanted to discuss. As the New Year came and went there has been so much more negativity around the idea of setting goals or resolutions. I’m hearing so much push back this year on the whole “new year, new you” mindset. I’ve heard a lot about NOT setting resolutions, not trying a Whole30 or cleaning up your diet, or the notion of “new year, same me.” But I feel the need to push back on this a bit.
Before I do, I’ll preface it by saying I TOTALLY GET where this attitude against New Year’s Resolutions is coming from! There is a lot of societal pressure to become some ideal version of yourself, and a lot of focus on weight loss and dieting come January 1. This is not what I’m advocating here. Setting goals does not mean that you are not okay exactly how you are right now. Please take that in for a second. Goal setting or setting intentions does not need to come from a place of what you lack in life as a person. It can come from a place of self-acceptance and self-love that you can and you do deserve the chance to improve your life and the lives of those around you.
From my perspective, there is nothing wrong with wanting to kickstart your new year healthy, wanting to set some new goals and resolutions, trying something new that might better your life and create some healthy growth for yourself. On the flip side of the coin, you know yourself best. If setting a goal to eat healthier, or exercise more brings up more negative emotional energy or habits than positive, maybe that shouldn’t be on your resolution list!
So yes, I unapologetically am for YOU setting a goal for yourself, whether it be health-focused or not. For example, if setting goals or intentions makes you feel like you are inadequate as you are, then maybe the best resolution you can set is for more self-love and self-acceptance! And if you want to try a new way of eating or give a Whole30 a try to explore how different foods are affecting you, go for it!
If you do nothing else this year, may I offer you support to drown out the loud noise of advice and try to listen in to what YOU want? We’re lucky to live in this time and space where there are so many different tools and resources out there to help you live a healthy and happy life and I want to be here to cheer you on while we sort through making all of the right decisions for ourselves and our families.
Over on my Instagram post there was such a great discussion on this topic and I hope to spark one here today! So head on down to the comments and tell me your thoughts on this topic! Leave a note and tell me what your intentions are for the year!
Here’s to a GREAT new year!
Your friend,
Lexi
Tips for a Balanced Approach to New Year Intentions
- Setting resolution or intentions for the new year is not to say you shouldn’t embrace your wins of 2018! Celebrate what worked for you last year and capitalize on what you learned.
- Consider setting an intention! The difference being is that you can still choose a place your headed (otherwise known as a goal or resolution), such as spending more time with your children, but instead of focusing on the end result such as (play with my kids 1 hour a day) focus on being kind with yourself on the journey to get there and the actual time spent with the kids instead of setting a timer and making sure you’ve achieved the whole hour. Enjoy the time with the kids instead of beating yourself up if it was only 10 minutes instead of 1 hour.
- Setting realistic goals is fun and healthy as long as you don’t put pressure on yourself! There is no need to be bummed out if you don’t reach them and no need to compare yourself to others and their goals.
- If setting resolutions and intentions for the whole year is daunting think about setting goals for the month. And take it one month at a time! And it doesn’t need to be something big! Micro goals are good too! This might mean you are going to be more intentional about drinking water! Whatever makes YOU happy.
- I cannot say this enough: Resolutions are not just about diets. A reader on Instagram said it perfectly, “The New Year’s Resolution has been muddied with exercising and eating right to lose weight for so long that it has become a source of negativity. But…a resolution can be ANYTHING you want it to be… It can be anything from deciding to brush your teeth more than once a day to buying a strangers meal once a month to walking outside and taking a deep breath of fresh air once a day. And yes this can be started at any point of the year, but some people find it fun and motivating to start with the first day of the year.”
- And finally, if you feel you don’t want to change anything, that’s great too!
Thanks for sharing, Lexi. Truth is, it actually depends on the individuals. I really do not love the idea of New Year’s resolutions because many times, 9 out of 10 people trash these new resolutions by the second week of February. But like I said, it solely depends on the person. If you can create and stick to your resolutions, then by all means do it. But if not, no one should force you into committing to one.
I believe in goal setting, be it at new year’s, Monday, 1st of the month, etc. 2018 ended a bit rough, and I have both health and social goals. One in particular is to catalogue my books so I don’t keep buying extra copies. A rainy day project, but it’s going on the to do list for 2019. Hubby and I come up with things together -a place to visit, New recipes to try, limit carbs one day a week, you be we will at least consider. And if it doesn’t get crossed off ut wasn’t for lack of trying or maybe life happened. Planning ahead could help lots of folks beore prepared for disasters. And everyone should put this on their goals this year – verify the first aid and emergency kit is stocked for disasters or emergencies. (we had an electrical fire in our home after a long power outage that was the result of our powerline ground wore coming loose from storm damage) . Preaching preparedness this year!