A new year isn’t about resolutions or taking some kind of important leap off some precipice. It’s about taking stock and giving oneself a reset button. Without start and finish lines we can struggle to tread water much too long without making any kind of course correction.
Sometimes you’ll just have to accept that things are off kilter and sacrifice the day. This doesn’t mean giving up entirely, but instead, honoring where the day is taking you and leaning into it.
Every claim I make here is backed by data. Every month a new study is released on how much social media makes us unhappy and sick. (7) And yet we don’t want to hear it. We don’t want to believe it. So many of the people I watch suffer are of the most scientifically minded people I know. The data is there. But you don’t want to see it.
I’m in a codependent relationship with my depression. My depression is an abusive significant other that revels in my failures. Who whispers in my ear every morning that I won’t amount to anything. Who begs me to stay in bed rather than start my day and laughs at me while I writhe in frustration and self loathing.
The truth of the matter is that people love to talk about professionals, services and products that make them happy and their lives easier. When I joined my local health club I ran into clients and connections that introduced me to dozens of potential clients without me even asking. At this point my membership is more than paid for from referrals.
Regardless of how out going or busy you are, we all need some personal space. I don't just mean a bubble around you that you'd prefer people didn't penetrate. I mean a location away from life's demands where you can breathe, regroup, and recuperate.
The biggest benefit to setting up the night before, is that you get to spend the first 2-3 hours of the morning being present. You will not be scanning your brain for what to do next, torturing yourself with deadlines and situations that are out of your control. Instead, the longer you can keep your mind on the present, the more focused your work will be and less stress you will feel, and you will actually get more done. As an added perk, you will be happier.
My “why” is to cheat death. Sparing you the explanation for why that is my “why,” fostering an animal who may not otherwise have had the chance for a new beginning, usually behavior cases, brings my “why” front and center. Saving lives is a joy and a privilege that I don’t take for granted.
"Be prepared to walk a long, long time before you get where you’re going! Just kidding. Sort of! Building a business as large, profitable, and self-sustaining like the one I’ve built isn’t something that happens overnight. "
"It’s that emotional thread. I want to talk about and address what moves people. If you can find that, you can motivate them to make a change and impact the world."
