Your Concept for the New Year
Health and Fitness Bloggers kind of have to address the concept of New Year’s resolutions at this time of year. We can’t really ignore it. It’s a thing. It’s a thing people like to do–and it can be a great thing–but it can also set you up to fail if you overreach. Because of this, we like to steer clear of resolutions that are specific about weight loss, a certain type of diet, going to the gym x amount of times per week, or any other type of exacting measurement that you could fail to reach. We want to feel successful this New Year!
A concept to focus on
We’ve heard a few people discussing their concepts or thoughts for the New Year, and we really like this idea. It forms a kind of broad, open ended idea that gives you some direction and inspiration for the New Year, without defining some specific goal that you may fail to reach. So if you haven’t formulated any kind of resolution or thought for the New Year, here are some suggestions from The Coffee Talk guys:
Energy
We heard this around the table on New Year’s Eve and really liked the idea. It is open ended, and quite flexible and resonant. It could mean that you are going to focus on taking care of yourself so that you have more energy in your life. This could include an awareness of what kinds of foods give you energy or tire you. It could mean noticing what people in your life are energy-giving, and what people tend to drain you of energy. It could be noticing if your work life gives you energy, or if it is sucking the life out of you. It could just mean that you get in touch with your intuition and assessing what energy you’re picking up from people and situations throughout your day, and using that to guide you through your life. It could mean finally focusing on quality sleep, and developing consistent sleep hygiene habits. (If interested, click here for our blog on tips to improve your sleep.) https://www.coachingandcoffeetalks.com/blog/sleep
It could mean really listening to your body and noticing if your particular training regimen is a self-care activity that is giving you energy, or a punishing activity that leaves you lifeless and feeling discouraged. It could mean finally starting a consistent morning ritual that sets you up in a positive way for the day. (If interested, click here for our blog on setting up a morning routine.)
https://www.coachingandcoffeetalks.com/blog/ritual
Abundance
We also like the idea of manifesting abundance as a resolution–but not as magical thinking–you still have to put the work in. But part of the work is setting this intention–possibly as part of a morning ritual–and believing in it. Inherent in this idea is the abandonment of fear as the main motivator in life. It could mean a change towards doing your daily work, and letting go of the results–while believing you will be taken care of. It could mean letting go of worry, and believing that things will work out. It could also mean the daily mental exercise of examining your life and appreciating what types of abundance already exist in it. This is related to our next suggestion.
Gratitude
The idea of being more grateful in life can seem a bit trite and played-out, but it really is one of those things that comes up so much simply because it is so powerful. It is also true that it is something that needs to be developed–a muscle that needs to be exercised. Making even a small gratitude list as part of your morning routine can shift your perspective from “glass half-empty” to “glass half-full,” and give you a positive mental tune-up that has a ripple-effect throughout your day.
Self-forgiveness
We have noticed many people using negative descriptions of themselves and their status in life (and we are not immune to this ourselves.) “Compare and despair,” “Keeping up with The Joneses,” or believing social media-fabricated lies, can all leave us feeling less-than and blaming ourselves for perceived failures. Often even if people are gregarious and positive in public, they are still hyper-critical of themselves in private. Adopting the idea of self-forgiveness as a concept to focus on through the new year could soften this kind of self-talk and open you up to appreciating the past as part of the invaluable education of life. (If you’d like to delve deeper into this concept, click the link to read our blog on forgiving yourself.)
https://www.coachingandcoffeetalks.com/blog/forgive-yourself
We hope you find your way toward making a New Year’s resolution that is achievable and that gently inspires you in your daily life.
Wishing you all the best for the new year
Scott and Lennart