Welcome the New Year by Getting Back to Basics

We’re celebrating another new year. It’s packaged with promise and possibilities just as advertised.

Yet some of us might still be scraping away residue from the old one. Some of us might still be figuring out what to do (and not do) when life throws you a curve ball.

Regardless, this is the time when our inboxes are flooded with inspiring messages about discovering what you really want in the new year. As well-meaning as this encouragement is, we might silently admit that it falls a little flat.

New Year Doesn’t Have to Mean New You

Because maybe, despite the shiny new calendar page that heralds January 2024, the timing feels a bit off. Maybe you’re not quite ready to jump into your new dream. Maybe what’s out there on the horizon is still a little foggy.

That’s OK.

We can be truly hopeful and eager to move the dial without pressuring ourselves to dream a bigger dream. And while we’re being urged to have a Happy New Year, we can take whatever time we need to figure out what that means.

One tool for making this easier to do is to embrace those things that ground you. Return to the basics that feel familiar and that have served you well in the past.

The 7 Rs of the New Year Reset

As you lean into a “New Year Reset,” explore a back-to-basics mindset by considering the following ideas.

Recover from any heartache and loss of 2023 by granting yourself grace and time to heal.

Reexamine your intentions for 2024, not to be confused with goals which don’t get to the heart of what we truly desire.

Resist the habit of sitting mindlessly in front of a screen and allowing the noisy world to overtake you.

Repeat everyday rituals that make you happy, with close attention paid to good food, lots of rest, and as much laughter as possible.

Revisit the wisdom of your teachers… authors, artists, mentors, any or all of the above.

Recommit to movement in whatever ways feel right for your body.

Return to your breath, consciously and often.

Go at Your Own Pace

There are countless ways to get our feet planted firmly on the ground before we step forward into anything new, whether at the start of the year or on any given day. Timing is everything, and we’re allowed to go at our own pace.

Whatever our tempo, reclaiming the “basics” that nourish us gives us the momentum to forge ahead. Recognizing them informs us about how we might navigate the future.

So if you hit Pause during 2023, take another moment. Ask yourself what you know for sure, what next step feels right for you to take.

Then view 2024 as an opportunity to push Play. And what a delightful word to describe clearing the path to Joy so that your dream-of-the-year may find you!

Let’s Have a Conversation:

Do you have some basics that keep you grounded? What you will revisit, repeat, or recommit to as you welcome the new year? Let’s have a conversation!