Have a Consistent, Happy New Year

By Maya Mackey

And so we’ve made it through another year. Congratulations!

2024 brought its challenges and triumphs as does most every year but for the first time since 2020, But 2025 feels particularly hopeful. I have no logical basis for my feelings, but I sense this next year will be lighter.

Occasionally, I like to set the intention for my upcoming year with a word to help me define my focus and keep me attached to my goals.So I ask you, what will your word for 2025 be? What yearnings live deep inside you? What hard lessons were learned in 2024? What relationships and experiences brought up old issues that still need to be healed?

This may seem like a lot of questions, but I want you to win in 2025  And winning requires getting clear about where you are and where you want to be. 

If discipline is part of your 2025 plan, don’t go from zero to sixty, go from zero to one and then build on that once you’ve become consistent. If you feel the need to be more consistent in achieving your goals, I highly recommend the book by James Clear called Atomic Habits. The book emphasizes the connection between Identity change and  habit change.  The key is to shorten the bridge between the person you want to be and the person you are.  Who you are is a culmination of the habits you’re adopted over the years.. 

Clear says some practical tips to advancement in this area is to align your habits with a supportive environment. So if you want to read more, pack a book in your bag for the train riddle to work and leave a book on your pillow so it’s the first thing you see when you lay down for bed and wake up in the morning. If you have the goal of fitness then purchase some athletic wear that you’ll intentionally wear exclusively to the gym. Find a gym that is so close to your home or work that it makes it easy to incorporate into your daily schedule. 

Before you even lock in and build the habits that will bring you the success you want, find clarity. James Clear teaches that clarity is not a magical thing that falls upon you in the middle of the night but the result of focused attention and planning.. It comes from you deciding what steps are most likely to get you to the finish line.

Maybe your intentions for the new year are less action based and more about inner wellness and healing. The start small rule still applies. Maybe you’ve finally decided this is the year you learn how to set and stick to your own boundaries. Or the year you allow yourself to embrace calm after a lifetime of growing up in chaos. 

Start with 1 minute of mindfulness–where you simply close your eyes and breathe or you lock in and just observe everything in your current environment. Just hold tight to the present moment for 60 seconds. Do it everyday and your tolerance will grow to being able to meditate for longer. Find one safe person in your life you can practice saying no to, like “I won’t be able to go out with you tonight. Maybe next time.” If you’re a recovering people pleaser, it’ll probably make you sweat but just do it once a month until it gets easier to do twice a month, and so on. Slow and steady wins the race!

I leave you with a call to self-care by millennial guide and encourager Michell Clark:

Take that break. Take that nap. Take that trip. Take what you need-because the world will take everything from you, if you don’t take care of yourself.