By Shane Svorec
The days are short, and the winter season is long, and post-holiday sadness can sometimes sneak in and catch people off guard. Yet, it’s not surprising. Stress, bills, unrealized expectations or disappointments, and general fatigue have built up over the past few months.
While the New Year is synonymous with a fresh start and a clean slate, it’s not always the best time to make grand plans and lofty goals. Many struggle to make New Year’s resolutions and, even more, struggle to keep them, which can add to the blues and become a self-defeating and mentally destructive practice. Women, in particular, fall prey to the pressures of this forward-looking, self-improving tradition. But before rushing to goal setting, let’s take a moment to breathe, acknowledge the present, give ourselves some grace, and resist adding to the mound of self-imposed obligations. Instead, I encourage you to take some time to review the past year, celebrate gains and grains of wisdom, and renew your faith in yourself. By doing so, we are starting from a place of empowerment, self-love, and achievement.
If you want to reinvent yourself in the new year and increase your chances of long-term success, lose the traditional habit of making resolutions and focus on how far you’ve come, what you’ve learned, and positive ways to move forward with healthy, sustainable goals. Life is about progress, not perfection. Dream big, work hard, but be patient with yourself. The only setback is the one that doesn’t teach us anything.
So, let’s take a moment to reflect on 2024. Whether you thrived or survived this past year, reinventing yourself in the New Year begins with acknowledging how far you’ve come, what you’ve learned, and how to use it for the better.
A few years back, I started making a Top 10 List of things I learned over the past year instead of resolutions. Below is a compilation of my reflections, which may inspire you to create your own. What lessons are on your list to encourage happiness in the new year?
Here are mine:
- Focusing on what you can control instead of what you can’t is an empowering practice that delivers peace and reduces panic. When you cannot change what’s happening around you, you can change how you react and respond.
- Your physical, emotional, and mental health is your priority and responsibility. Review your habits, recharge your battery, and repeat as necessary.
- Surrounding yourself with people who elevate you and inspire personal growth is critical to progress and happiness. If you’re surrounded by negativity, people who don’t treat you well and don’t value or respect you, it’s time to find new people.
- Being happy doesn’t mean you don’t have problems, pain, or struggles. Happy people tend to focus less on complaining and more on what’s possible, ways to heal, and opportunities to move on or resolve challenges.
- Your worth is not tied to your achievements, titles, or possessions. Do not undervalue your importance or preciousness just as you are.
- Showing love and compassion to others is the best medicine and the fastest way to soothe your soul. Limiting “social” media and increasing social interaction remain the best connections without a cord.
- Happiness means different things to different people. Stop chasing other people’s definitions of it and pursue your own. Our start and finish lines are all different. Focus on your race and your pace.
- The most challenging work you will do is the work you do on the inside. Get comfortable with being uncomfortable, and watch yourself grow. Nothing changes without change.
- Your outlook changes when you realize you have nothing to prove to anyone. Your happiness is not dependent on another person but a gift you give yourself.
- Reinvention is a form of self-improvement only when the reasons and results are genuine.
Remember that real change requires consistent effort to achieve your goals, persistence to chase your dreams, and passion for living your purpose.
As someone very dear to me often said, “Take special care of your special self.”
Wishing you and yours a happy, healthy, and fulfilling year ahead!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Shane Svorec is a Sales and Marketing Professional who, during Covid, pursued her long-time passion for writing, published her first book, and became an award-winning author. Her work includes Broken Little Believer: Finding Purpose in All the Pretty Painful Pieces, The Busy Bridge That Got Its Break, and Acorn Adventures. An inspirational writer who connects with readers through her colorful storytelling abilities, encouraging messages, and positive perspective, she lives in NJ with her husband, three children, and rescue pets.
