The "Resolution Hangover." Resolutions...One Week Later...
- growingsage
- Jan 8, 2023
- 6 min read
How are those resolutions going?
Do you feel empowered...or maybe a little disappointed?
Maybe we should discuss the "Resolution Hangover"🤔
There is something special about that week leading up to New Year's Eve. The hustle bustle of Christmas is over...but we are still riding on the joy and happiness it provides. 🎄🎄
We start feeling a sense of accomplishment. We survived what this year threw at us!
Then, we start to feel some magic bubbling up.🪄✨
I survived that year. I am capable. I am strong. What if maybe this year...I could actually... show the world my strength?, get that job?, change my style?, find that soulmate?, etc.
We are just about to pass "Go" on the Monopoly board and our anticipation rises.
We start asking ourselves questions that we never allow ourselves to ask, like:
What do I want to do for a living?
What do I want to look like?
Who do I want to be known as?
Who is my perfect boyfriend/girlfriend/friend?
Where would I like to live?
It's like we have been provided this magic space to dream...even if it's only for a little bit.😴
We start trying out some "what-ifs":
Who would I be if I wore shoes like this?
Who would I be if I changed my hair to this?
Who would I be if I started giving of my time like this?
Who would I be if I hung out with these people?
Who would I be if I started studying/reading about this?
It's a fun game to play!🎊🙌
It feels like a vacation to Las Vegas. You can be whomever you want to be in Vegas! What happens in Vegas...stays in Vegas. It's like being a kid in a candy store again.
Ok. Now it's time to focus, people! What exactly do I want for this upcoming year?
What are my New Year's Resolutions?
There is still some magic in this phase - actually getting to decide what you want. That's exciting for sure!
Draft #1 of Resolutions:
But, then that voice flips on inside our head...
You can't lose 30 pounds in one year - you GAINED 3 this year! Don't be stupid!
You can't get that promotion - you've never gotten noticed at your office!
You can't start wearing those types of clothes! Who do you think you are? A Kardashian?
You're not going to find a guy like that. Guys like that don't exist!
No one cares if you are donating your time to the school. What are you trying to prove?
We've all heard that voice. It can be mean. It can be nasty. It can be ruthless and relentless.
It can stop the magic✨ right in its tracks.
Ok - let's not be silly...I guess I could modify my resolutions a little. Here we go - Draft #2:
There they are - the resolutions. They are still good...but are they great???? Are they momentum shifting? Are they inspiring? Are they life changing? Probably not.
Now - it's celebration time!!! Happy New Year!!!🥂🎊
So much fun. So much energy. So much excitement.
Then you wake up on January 1st.
Tired. Maybe hungover. Maybe a bit overwhelmed.
Now it's noon.
You feel the guilt creeping in a bit. I should probably do something productive. I should probably at least eat a fruit or vegetable.
Ok, so most people just take this day off, right? I can start tomorrow, after a good day's rest.🤔
Now it's time to get back to life. Managing your life, home, family, friends, and yourself. Back to the grind. You still float around on a shadow of magic from the New Year. You pass on the second soda. You make it to the gym most days. You put some effort into your outfit most days. You check some lists off at work. You make plans to meet with some friends. And you drop some holiday snacks off for teachers.
Not too bad. Not too good. Not too Magical. In fact, the magic starts to fade away.😔
It's time for the "Resolution Hangover"
Seriously, what was I thinking?
Who do I think I am, anyway?
That's not possible
I'm busy enough
Who has time for that?
I don't have the motivation for that
What actual day is it anyway?
What do we do when hit this point? What's the next step?
It's all about these 3 things: 1) Belief 2) Grace 3) Faith
Belief
Who told you that you had to stop dreaming? Why don't you deserve a better life? Why don't you deserve to look and feel like you want to? Why don't you deserve the people in your life that you long for? Why don't you deserve to show everyone how big you heart is?
Somewhere, somehow, your belief switch got dimmed. It's probably not anyone's fault - it may just be one of the tricky steps of this life...but that doesn't mean you can't turn it back up anytime you want.
Maybe you start watching Tik Tok and see other people's transformations. Maybe you watch a love story on the Hallmark channel. Maybe you call someone you know and listen to their success story.
Turn up the switch!!!!
Choose to BELIEVE!!!!
Grace
I don't know when you got this concept in your head that you wouldn't have tough days on the road to success or that it was a bad thing to fail, but those are all just steps in the process.
Do you think that every class Deepak Chopra made sold out? Do you think every idea Jeff Bezos thought of for Amazon helped make a profit? Do you think every workout the Rock tried - actually put on the muscle he wanted?
NOPE
So, you feel like poop today? Rest. The resolutions will be there tomorrow and after you actually rest, you can have even more effort for them.
So, the proposal at work did go over as you had hoped? Try again. There will always be more proposals. There will always be more opportunities. There will always be more work.
So, that guy seemed pretty great, until you found out he was the world's biggest cheapskate? Meet someone new. There are always new opportunities to meet new people. You just have to choose to be open to those opportunities - as well as continue to work on yourself. The right person will be brought to you.
Be willing to lose, fail, or get knocked down...and then WIN, SUCCEED, GET BACK UP!
And most importantly, always, always, during the process of this thing called life, have lots of EASE and...
GRACE!
Faith
This is probably the easiest of the three...but often the hardest for many people. Why is that? It's because YOU are the sole deciding factor! You. Only you.
Faith comes in many forms. It can mean showing up to a physical place for some. It can mean belonging to a group to others. It can mean being in nature. It can mean meditating, hoping, wishing, praying, intending, trusting.
This is a relationship you have with not only yourself - but whatever you believe is the bigger picture that bonds and unites us all during this thing called life.
You get to decide. You don't have to find faith forged from the same path as your parents or your friends. You get to decide.
But after you decide, you actually have to CHOOSE faith and you actually have to PRACTICE faith on a daily basis...maybe on an hourly basis.
And here is the cool thing...that you can keep finding faith in new places in new ways and with new people...as long you remain open to it.
The one thing that will lift you up...when the days are long...and the skies seem dark...is...
FAITH
If these words are resonating with you, a week, a month, or 5 months after the New Year...
Then simplify the chaos and doubt in your mind and keep it simple:
Allow & Dream BIG: Allow yourself to dream and dream big, dear ones. You deserve the life that gives you magical goosebumps on a daily basis.
Align w/the Beautiful 3: Choose to believe. Release yourself from that negative subconscious programming. Choose to have grace. Mistakes, failures, and bumps in the road are all part of the process. Get back up and try again. And choose to have faith. Faith is accessible all around us. It's in the laugh of a child, or the cuddle from a pet. It's in a kind gesture or a warm hug. You get to choose where you wan to draw it from.
May these two steps level-up your New Year's Resolutions, or any other goals you set for your year. I see you. I am proud of you. Thanks for showing up.
My hope is that you read this and find the magic again and use it to live your best life. You deserve that! Happy New Year, growth friends!✨
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