I have never been a big fan of New Year’s resolutions. I usually forget about them midway into January or I end up losing interest as the year goes on.
Sometimes I will set goals in the summer or even in September, which is the start of the school year calendar. Most of us feel energetic and rested after the slower period of summer.
Recently a colleague and I were talking, and it lead me to think about the New Year as a time to let go of story lines in our lives that no longer work.
She was talking about ways that she viewed herself and how it was holding her back. She felt that she wasn’t allowing a change in her life or any movement toward personal and financial success.
“I have always been an underearner, but I can never turn around my financial situation.” She went on to say that by always viewing herself as an “underearner,” she kept herself in a bad situation financially. She said that she had given power to this theme for most of her adult life.
What story line or theme in your life do you need to let go of?
There so many people, children, families, who are grappling with serious problems that they cannot control. I am often amazed by how many of these people are positive about life and really enjoy themselves, despite everything that they are dealing with. They often try to drop the negative emotions or stress that is part of their situation.
Here are some suggestions for a new story line in 2018:
(1)If you have been hanging onto a story line for years that is not benefiting you or is holding you back, you have my permission to drop it and try to find a new story line that fits you. My colleague now calls herself a “wealth builder” and “wealth creator” versus an “underearner.” She has a new financial planner and is working hard to have more financial health than she has ever had.
(2)If you have always struggled with your health or other issues related to your body, instead of being down and thinking that there is nothing you can do, start taking baby steps. Try to go out walking with a friend or coworker, or go to the gym. Consider getting involved in a fun activity versus focusing on the number on the scale. The more enjoyable it is, the more likely you will keep up the activity.
(3)If you are unhappy with where you are in life right now, and this occupies your mind, try to understand that you are in this place for now-but it won’t be forever. I’ve often heard people say, “We are in a place or space for a reason.” You won’t be in this space forever, as many situations are temporary and will pass as we continue to move through life.
We have a tendency in our consumer culture to want more and to forget about our life as it is at the present. There is a reason that things are the way they are. Work to embrace it, while letting go of any themes that are no longer working.
Happy New Year!
Kay Gimmestad, LCSW-C is a business coach and clinician in New York City with 20 years of experience working in the profit and not for profit sectors of Human Resources, Health and Human Services. She has built a reputation for being highly skilled in facilitating behavior change while working with employees, both individually and in groups, on matters relating to performance management, substance abuse, crisis intervention, and stress/wellness.
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