New Year, New You? There is a chill in the air and the magic of the holidays is brewing. But the holidays quickly give way to something else. We’re inundated with marketing and other messaging promoting the idea of “new year, new you.” But this year, I am trading my New Year’s resolution for a New Year’s recognition.
Instead of setting some lofty goal for myself, I am going to intentionally acknowledge and celebrate all the things I am succeeding at.
It Was the Best of Times . . . It Was the Worst of Times . . .
With two small children (ages three and five), I am in the thick of motherhood. We are not entirely free of diapers, but are also navigating school, activities, and playground politics. In this season of life, I am all at once the best and worst version of myself.
On one hand, I am a mess. I am anxious, exhausted, over-scheduled, and overwhelmed. I snap at my husband when I’m tired. All of my “baby weight” has hung around and I am perpetually five minutes late. I raise my voice with the kids more than I would like and there are times where I go stretches without showering so long that I refuse to state the actual length of time on this public forum.
On the other hand, I am a superhero. I keep my kids fed and (mostly) wearing clean clothes. My husband and I make spending time together a priority and go on weekly dates. I deal with complex legal issues at work but also make time for socializing with friends and hobbies like theater and fitness. On top of work and family, I write for blogs, serve on boards for multiple non-profits, and am (mostly) a kind person.
It would be easy to focus on the messier aspects of my life. A new year is a perfect excuse to set the goal of losing five pounds or arriving five minutes early. But resolutions don’t usually make you feel good and are rarely successful long-term.
What if this year, instead of listening to the all the messaging (internal and external) telling me to be better, I celebrated the parts of me that are already great? Instead of looking in the mirror in the morning and pinching the fat on my stomach, what if I said, “You have a beautiful smile” to my reflection? What if instead of beating myself up for being a few minutes late to brunch with friends, I celebrated that I made it at all?
New Year, Same Amazing You!
I am tired of resolving to be better. I want to recognize the amazing things I am doing. You might read this and think you are not doing anything amazing. But we both know that you are.
Maybe you have a new baby and all you did today was feed the baby and change diapers. That’s amazing. Maybe you are dealing with depression and all you did was literally make it through the day. That’s amazing. Maybe this was the year you got married, had a baby, left a bad relationship, got a new job, adopted a dog, started doing yoga, planted a tomato garden, or just figured out how to change the time on your microwave clock. Those things are all amazing and deserve recognition.
Maybe this new year, we trade resolutions for the recognition we deserve. New year, same amazing you.
